This week’s roundup of Millennial media brings you all of the content and clips that you should be watching to stay in tune with this generation. Don’t miss it!
1. Ratings Off the Chart Tonight
We asked: Is Jimmy Fallon the Xer who will Millennialize late night? So far the answer is yes, and we’ve got the numbers to prove it. Don’t miss news that Fallon’s first week as The Tonight Show host brought in the highest viewership since Johnny Carson’s farewell broadcast two decades ago in 1992. Over 10.4 million people tuned in for Fallon’s debut and the change of host brought down the average viewer age by almost 6 years, thanks to a more Millennial audience. Fallon’s winning skits, like last night’s “Wastepaper Basketball” with LeBron James (keep tabs as the views shoot up) even have the UK questioning, “where is our Jimmy Fallon?”
2. Fast Food Cuisine
With Millennials at the table, the food world is quickly becoming a playground for creativity, with restaurants dreaming up music-inspired menus and food focused theme parks. While this generation still eats fast food for its convenience, their values align with healthier and more gourmet options, so don’t miss the announcement from renowned chef José Andrés that he will be entering the fast food business. Andrés cites chef Steve Ells, creator of Chipotle, for the impetus behind this movement, and estimates that in the coming year, he will have a chef-run mass merchant in the works, instead of a “clown organizing your menu.”
3. Binge Watch This
The online series that you should be watching are created for Millennials by Millennials, and touch on topics that this generation can relate to with self-deprecating humor and overt honesty. If you haven’t yet, you should meet Issa Rae, the 29-year-old creator and star of The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. Winner of the Shorty Award’s “Best Web Show” in 2012 and featured on Pharrell’s innovative project i am OTHER, Awkward Black Girl is two seasons worth of binge-worthy content so far, giving a “refreshing” perspective on young adult African-American females.
4. The Anti-Fashion Movement
Fashion week rages on as new trends set the stage at the Paris shows, but we don’t want you to miss the buzzword of the week among New York City trendsetters: normcore. This style of dress looks a lot like Jerry Seinfeld circa the mid-‘90s, and is said to be an anti-fashion movement—a way of aligning with the masses instead of flaunting individuality as “it” girls and guys have done for the past decade. Theories have abounded to explain normcore, but this may just be another trend among young adults to distinguish themselves as different from the current status quo—which is anything but normal.
5. Links We’re Passing
Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” has been getting considerable airplay (and 98 million YouTube views), so don’t miss the amazing spoof “Dunkin’ Love” from two, young West Coast guys. The parody has them profess their unabashed love for Dunkin’ Donuts, recreating the original video’s beach scene and giving the song of the moment an even bigger viral stamp.
