today in tabs: fighting health misinfo one tiktok at a time
ALSO: what happens post-trad wife, the words you can't say on the internet, the 2025 winner of world's best cheese, and more
Happy Friday, November 21st.
WELCOME :)
Just a reminder: every Tuesday and Friday, I’ll be in your inbox with the latest in politics, tech & social media, culture, and other relevant topics – and I’ll share some notes and tips on what I’m keeping my eye on.
Want to do a super fun, super cool rapid interview for this newsletter like the one below??? Reply to this email or hit the button below. Tips, thoughts, concerns, good jokes, bad jokes, ☕️, etc?
And finally, if you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with your network (and/or your chronically online friends), that would be so appreciated 🙏
QUICK HOUSEKEEPING NOTE: for the holiday next week, we will have a Monday newsletter and a Wednesday newsletter (trying something new with that one!) – and then we’ll be back to normal-ish for December, barring 1L exams and then all the holly jolliness :)
Today, we have texts from @publichealthsimplified over on TikTok who breaks down public health issues in simple, digestible (and viral) vidoes – you might now from her excellent videos, like this one and this one! Enjoy :)
LR: I know your content focuses on breaking down and explaining public health issues in a digestible way on TikTok. What was the inspo behind this? What are you hoping folks take away from a visit to your account?
PHS: My inspiration was definitely a combo of Covid and college. The amount of misinformation I saw being spread during Covid drove me absolutely crazy, then I studied public health in college and learned about health literacy and how so many adults in the U.S. genuinely do not understand health-related information. I know some of my videos aren’t as serious or informative as others, but I wanted to create a space where people felt like information was being disseminated at a level that didn’t require a background in public health to understand. As for content inspiration the current administration is making it pretty easy…
LR: If someone hears something online that’s health-related (i.e., something about birth control, vaccines, etc.) that makes them nervous – how should they tackle getting accurate, high-quality information to help them figure out what’s going on?
PHS: I think a common response for this would be to ask your doctor, but a lot of people either a. don’t have a doctor or b. if they wanted to see their doctor it could take months because of how fucked the healthcare system in the US is 😶🌫️. I think in terms of accessible ways to get this info could be by contacting your local health department or using websites that are backed by science like Mayo Clinic, finding peer reviewed studies (emphasis on the plural, don’t read just one with a tiny sample size and freak yourself out) on PubMed. Just please for the love of god don’t take advice from a “health coach” or a fitness influencer that has no qualifications (an online certificate that can be completed in a week doesn’t count).
LR: What are three issues in the world of public health that you don’t think are getting enough attention? (with the awareness that there are many, many issues that require more attention!)
PHS: There are SO many public and global health issues that don’t get enough attention, but the three that come to mind immediately are period poverty, dental deserts, and poor health outcomes related to air quality. First, period poverty is something typically experienced by people who have a period in low income countries and don’t have access to period products. These individuals might have to use something like a sock, or just fully miss out on things like school because of their period. Next, dental deserts can make it really hard for people to go to the dentist, which can lead to diabetes, cancer, and has been linked to dementia. Also, a SUPER strong argument fluoride in drinking water 😍!!! Finally, air quality is a huge part of health outcomes. Poor air quality can trigger asthma, lead to COPD, and even reproductive issues. Shits scary.
LR: What’s your nemesis health myth that just won’t go away no matter how many times it’s been debunked?
PHS: Well I would say my nemesis in general is RFK jr 🪱 because that man is KNOWINGLY spreading misinformation to millions of people he knows will blindly follow him because they worship him and Trump. In terms of a public health myth though I’d have to say any weird conspiracy theories related to vaccines. Like pls take a second, crack a book, do some research, and you will see all that wack shit debunked so fast. It drives me insane.
LR: If your account were a color… what color would it be and why?
PHS: If I were a color I’d definitely be orange. Per my content, I can sometimes be aggressive and feisty, but also playful or focused, and I think it’s important to have that balance. I see orange as a versatile color. There are some topics that need to be treated and talked about way differently than others and that’s something that I try to be really careful about. 🧡
How billionaires took over American politics
In 2000, the country’s wealthiest 100 people donated about a quarter of 1 percent of the total cost of federal elections, according to a Post analysis of data from OpenSecrets. By 2024, they covered about 7.5 percent, even as the cost of such elections soared. In other words, roughly 1 in every 13 dollars spent in last year’s national elections was donated by a handful of the country’s richest people. (WaPo, 11/21)
There’s a curious trend dividing Latino Republicans
Now, the narrative is that Trump and Republicans misinterpreted the support they’d won among Latinos in 2024, mistaking a vote against the status quo regarding prices and the border as a more fulsome endorsement of the entire MAGA agenda. Simply put, these voters wanted lower prices and a stronger economy, and, as my colleague Andrew Prokop has noted, Trump has signally failed to deliver on this fundamental promise. (Vox, 11/17 – free version)
Grocery chains are discounting Thanksgiving meals to earn your loyalty
The cost of shopping cart staples has risen nearly 29% since before the pandemic. But big grocery stores hope a brief holiday inflation break will earn faithful shoppers—and some are eating the cost to make it happen. While the wholesale price of a frozen turkey clocks in at $1.73 per pound right now, it’s retailing at places like Walmart for $0.97 per pound. (Morning Brew, 11/20)
Lucy’s note: Why is this in the politics section, you ask?? Because it should be the government regulating mega-corporations that are price-gauging with food – not them using it as a tool to try to get more of your money :)
Sky Sports killed off its female-focused Halo brand after just three days
The Barbification of its sports coverage was called infantilizing, patronizing, sexist, and misogynistic. After just three days, Sky deleted all of Halo’s posts and announced it would be ceasing activity on the account. (The Verge, 11/16)
The words you can’t say on the internet
Social media companies make their money from advertising. Ultimately, that means their goal is to make apps that lots of people want to use, fill them with content that makes advertisers comfortable and do whatever is necessarily to prevent government regulators from getting in the way, Roberts says. Every change to the algorithm and every content moderation decision comes down to that profit motive. (BBC, 11/20)
The ‘Great Meme Reset’ Is Coming
Substance, as ever, remains a relative notion. Nyan Cat perhaps didn’t have the substance of an Andy Warhol image, but both sought to comment on cultural moments—and both got people talking in a way 2025’s deluge of AI slop could never. Taken at face value, a call for a massive meme reset is also a call for organic internet culture, no matter how seemingly silly. (WIRED, 11/19)
The world’s most common passwords usually follow the same formula
A new report by NordPass and NordStellar analyzed public data breaches occuring in the 12 months to September 2025 to compile the world’s most common passwords — or, at least, the world’s most common leaked passwords — with “123456,” or variations thereof, dominating the list. (Sherwood, 11/19)
Joe Rogan Had the Most Popular Podcast on Apple in 2025
Among the new shows of 2025, Good Hang with Amy Poehler topped the charts, followed by Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce. Poehler’s appearance on SmartLess also ranked among the most listened to episode on Apple, as did Taylor Swift’s appearance on New Heights, hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce, Kylie’s husband. (The Hollywood Reporter, 11/18)
The Trad Movement Is Sputtering. Here’s What Comes Next
The tradwife was always a business model, another differentiator in an oversaturated content market. If you weren’t a creator, you were a customer. Matt Forney, an early alt-right blogger, popularized the sneering label “tradthot” in 2017 to mock women who performed “traditional values” for male audiences. It was a misogynistic dig, designed to demean, but it did gesture toward a broader shift: reactionary politics becoming yet another gimmick for capital-c Creators trying to stand out. (GQ, 11/17)
I love your sweater. Is it made from gay sheep wool?
Rainbow Wool was hoping Grindr would sponsor some sheep on the farm or work together on an ad campaign on the app. But Pineiro envisioned something bigger: a fashion show using the wool from gay sheep. The name: “I Wool Survive.” (WaPo, 11/20)
This Cheese Defeated 5,200 Others to Be Named the Best in the World
Gruyère AOP Vorderfultigen Spezial over 18 months, a raw cow’s milk cheese made by Bergkäserei Vorderfultigen, beat out over 5,200 cheeses from around the globe to earn the prestigious designation of World Champion Cheese. (Food and Drink, 11/17)
this may be my favorite fun fact in all of politics…
Extra Credit 🤓
Some newsletters I thought were excellent recently:
“Gen Z Is Huge. Their TV Shows Are Tiny. And Hollywood Is Panicking” from Whitney Friedlander + The Ankler.
“Public Competition Isn’t Socialism” from Corbin Trent of America's Undoing
“The Bezos-ification of culture” from Rachel Richardson of highly flammable by Rachel Richardson
That’s all for now – I’ll see you on Tuesday!
thank you so much for the highly flammable mention xx