YouTubegeist and MP bots
Youtube is catnip to Gen Alpha and Boomers and the rise of the politician avatar
Welcome back to a new edition of mostly cool stuff, a space dedicated to the the random news and things I come across online and offline that get my attention as per the dozens of screenshots, pictures and links in my phone to remind me about them.
This is the last issue before the holidays but mostly cool stuff will come back in September.
YouTube is the most popular TV destination for Gen Alpha (4 to 15 years old) in the UK, with 1 in 5 heading straight to the streaming platform when they want to watch content. But it’s not only the new generations that favour the platform as viewers over 55 have also doubled the amount of YouTube content they watch last year compared to 2023.
This marks a clear shift in viewing preferences, with traditional TV in steep decline except for the over 75s, as ad-supported content is gaining momentum and it is predicted it will surpass ad-free options by 2026. No wonder then that YouTube generated $9.8bn in ad sales last quarter - up 13% on last year - as they are the catnit to Alpha and Omega generations.
ChatGPT has unveiled a new study mode, a function designed to act as a tutor to offer guidance for college students rather than plain, straight answers with the aim of helping them arrive to their own conclusions. As with everything, it is not free from errors so it may do more harm than good. However, this new function may be made redundant sooner than expected as 1 in 4 Gen Z workers believe that getting a degree-level education wasn’t worth it and 1 in 5 admit their degree is not linked to their line of work, according to the Gen Z Career Prospects report.
Besides, nothing prevents users from switching to ChatGPT 5 which OpenAI has launched this week. The latest iteration has been promoted as universal basic intelligence as it just doesn’t answer your questions but also has PhD level expertise and reduced hallucinated answers. Not sure how to take this as I know several real people with real PhDs who are able to produce incredibly hallucinated answers anyway. Huge Never Miss a Beat vibes overall this week if you ask me.
OpenAI better brace themselves as Apple is also working on their in-house ChatGPT rival, which may help them recoup from their VisionPro flop of a couple of years ago. Vision what? you ask. My point exactly, don’t worry about it.
Universal Pictures has made a declaration of intentions by including a legal warning in the end credits of their films stating that they may not be used to train AI and are ready to fight Big Tech if they do not comply.
Meanwhile MP Mark Sewards has become the first UK politician to create an AI avatar of himself to interact with constituents. In case you wonder why public trust in government in the UK it’s at its lowest one of the reasons may be that politicians are outsourcing interactions with the people they are meant to represent to a bot.
On to brighter news. If you live in the UK, keep an eye out on the mail as you may be one of the 15,000 households to be invited to join NG Citizens, the National Gallery Citizen’s Assembly that aims at involving the public in its future direction and decision-making process. Power to the people.
I haven’t set foot on Primark in years in my attempt to be a more conscious fashion consumer but I appreciate their launching a wheelchair mannequin inspired by and co-created with Sophie Morgan, to show that fashion is for everyone.
The Oasis reunion tour has caused a huge wave of 90s nostalgia and I’m here for it. However, not everything from the 90s is worth bringing back which is probably why the UK Advertising Standards Authorities has banned two Zara ads that portrayed unhealthily thin models. Let heroin chic be a thing of the past.
If you can’t go to Broadway, let Broadway come to you, as the original production of Hamilton will be screened at UK cinemas next month to mark its 10th anniversary.
But if you’re cheap as a rat and won’t pay for a cinema ticket, then you still have until 17th August to enjoy one of the free films offered by Everyman in its open air cinema at Granary Square. You’ll have to rely on the impredictability of the British summer weather but as the saying goes, you can’t have your free film and your balmy 22 degrees to go with it.
IKEA has invited real sleep talkers to be part of their new marketing campaign “Sleep Talk Reviews,” which was filmed at the IKEA store in North York as participants relaxed on different mattresses. My younger self, who dreamed of being a mattress tester even though everyone kept telling me that wasn’t a real job, feels vindicated.
I am aware of the devotion the noble people of Britain have for a sandwich. However, you can tell when boundaries have been pushed when even the locals go “what in the name of soggy bread is this?” at Tesco’s birthday cake sandwich with some people claiming it to be a criminal offence. This is karma for the infamous paella sandwich, I’m sure.
MTV, the holy 90s music grail for teenagers, has been the latest victim of streaming (and YouTube) as they have quitely closed their UK music production channel after 30 years. Although the MTV channel will still be active, there will be no more original content. This requires a proper send off after the great contribution MTV UK made to showcase the unmatched British music scene in the 90s by putting so many bands in our radar. More significantly, MTV UK offered the first televised appearance of Oasis and rare footage of Liam Gallagher touching a mic. And one of the band’s performances on the channel shortly afterwards has produced the best live version of Supersonic, their debut single. Ironically, I can only share this video from MTV because it is on YouTube (watched surely by anyone between the ages of 7 and 80) but on the bright side at least the people on it are not avatars.
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I didn't expect Primark to be a source of wholesome news but it's 2025 and that's where we are I guess 😂
Was unaware of the birthday cake sandwich - your newsletter is essential reading for me to be aware of news that matters