Tomorrow marks the first day of summer, so catch up on all of your Millennial news before enjoying a sun-soaked weekend!
1. Get Out the Popcorn
The movies that Millennials say best represent themselves run the gamut from coming-of-age comedies and wild party flicks to intelligent and intense stories that speak to their inner activist. Animated films like Frozenand The Lego Movie were surprise smash hits this year with even older Millennial audiences, so don’t miss news of a LEGO spinoff Ninjago set to release in a few years. In the TV movie space, expect some skepticism surrounding Lifetime Movie The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story based on Dustin Diamond’s tell-all book, which will either intrigue or annoy Millennial fans of the show.
2. Snapshot Marketing Gets Moving
Millennials and Instagram have managed to influence the aesthetic of modern advertising in a big way. Snapshot Marketing is more vital than ever for brands to remain in the conversation with young users, so we don’t want you to miss the celebration heard ‘round the internet when Twitter opened up its feed to GIFs. Wendy’s, Forever 21, Mountain Dew, GE, Samsung, and Arby’s all contributed to the first GIFs on Twitter, remaining playful with the format and giving us a taste of what to expect in GIF visuals on the social network.
3. Hey, Look at This
The next wave of temporary internet is allowing tech users to encrypt text and self-destruct entire social network posts. Privacy is largely the concern when sending personal information online these days, but what about passing someone your phone to browse through? We’ve all been there, scrolling through images with a friend and happening upon a NSFW snap or embarrassing selfie. To avoid this awkwardness, don’t miss Overswipe, an app that displays only the pictures you set as visible. In Pro mode, the apps prevents onlookers from exiting the display without a passcode, ensuring that what is set is all that someone else sees.
4. App Store: SMH
We voiced our curiosity for Facebook’s new Snapchat-competitor app Slingshot and have been following its reviews post-launch to gauge whether or not it will be the Next Big Thing. Word in the app store for Slingshot, which sits at No. 76 in the Top Free iPhone Apps, says: “The app itself is beautiful and I love using it but seriously? I can’t see it unless I send them something first? How the heck does that make any sense?” or “What am I supposed to send them when I don’t even know what their sling is about?” Forcing user engagement seems to be a point of contention among those who have downloaded Slingshot, but meanwhile, talk of the app is beingovershadowed completely by the now No. 5 app Yo. In case you had any doubts about Yo, which recently raised $1 million, the app’s goals are loftier than remaining a one syllable audio message, aiming to become a form of notification.
5. Links We’re Passing
News of favorite kids’ shows returning to TV just keep on coming, like Powerpuff Girls, Reading Rainbow, and The Magic School Bus. Don’t miss suggestions for the next shows to be rebooted, including Muppet Babies, Kim Possible, and favorite Hey Arnold! But FYI, Millennials can still catch up on their favorite ’90s shows via Nick Reboot, the 24-hour Nickelodeon streaming site that disappeared after large-scale media exposure and came back again under the radar.
