Taylor Swift’s re-recorded “Red” album is finally here, a decade-old subreddit is blowing up, former Travis Scott fans are reacting to the Astroworld tragedy, social media can’t stop laughing about Hinge’s voice prompt update—plus more internet buzz on this week’s Viral List!
“Sad Girl Autumn” Is Here, Thanks to Taylor Swift’s and Adele’s New Albums
It’s finally “Red” season, Swifties: The highly anticipated “Red (Taylor’s Version)” dropped today (November 12), and young fans are channeling “Sad Girl Autumn” energy as they celebrate the 30-track album from one of their favorite artists. Swifties “lit up” as soon as the album dropped at midnight, taking to Twitter to share their thoughts: a post from @thetaylight reads, “Just finished #RedTaylorsVersion and I’m at a loss for words I can’t lie”; @lillyswiftt13 says, “I’ve been waiting so long for these ones…my life is now complete”; and @swiftielaurah says, “How am I going to do my makeup and get ready for work while listening to this ALBUM AAAH.” #RedTaylorsVersion on TikTok has garnered more than 420M views from users talking about the new album while creating videos set to popular “Red” songs. Swift announced the re-recorded album release today on social media: “It never would have been possible to go back & remake my previous work…if you hadn’t emboldened me. Red is about to be mine again, but it has always been ours. Now we begin again” (for non-Swifties out there, Taylor Swift announced in 2018 that she would be re-recording her first six albums that were created under Big Machine Label Group after switching over to Universal Music Group’s Republic Records). Phoebe Bridgers, Ed Sheeran, and Chris Stapleton are featured in “Red (Taylor’s Version),” and an “All Too Well” short film with Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink and Teen Wolf’s Dylan O’Brien is also part of the album release. Brands are sharing their “Red” love, including Starbucks which has not-so-subtly teased a Taylor tie-in on Twitter. Today, Starbucks confirmed its Taylor tease, telling fans that they’ll be listening to the new album on repeat (just like us) in select stores, dropping a “Red”-inspired e-gift card, and offering Swift’s go-to drink order (“Taylor’s Latte”)—a Grande Caramel Nonfat Latte. Taylor Swift is also hitting the SNL stage as the musical guest tomorrow (November 13), and Pete Davidson and Seth Meyers say their friends and family won’t stop asking them for tickets to Saturday’s show. Swift isn’t the only one stirring up music buzz this fall—fans can’t stop talking about Adele’s 30 album as the artist continues dropping singles in the lead up to the release on November 19. Over 200,000 fans tuned into Adele’s “Easy On Me” drop during a live release on YouTube, and “Hold On” dropped earlier this week inside an Amazon ad. Vinyl is booming, too—more than 500,000 copies of 30 have been manufactured leading up to the November 19 release. Social media users are dubbing this season of new releases from female artists (obviously talking about Taylor Swift and Adele here—plus Mitski who’s been dropping new songs, too) as “Sad Girl Autumn.” One Twitter post from a devoted Swiftie and Adele fan reads, “Sad girls won’t survive November 12th or November 19th with Taylor Swift and Adele releases.” Fans have always associated “Red” with the fall season for the broody, sulking emotions it delivers, and Nate Sloan (an assistant professor of musicology at the University of Southern California) tells NBC News, “It’s no coincidence that some of the most talented, innovative women artists are tapping into these emotional and musical gray areas, and that’s why people are responding to them.” It’s a Taylor Swift and Adele world and we’re all just living in it.
Young Employees Are Venting About Their Work Frustrations on Reddit
YPulse’s What’s Next for Work trend research told you how Gen Z and Millennials are fueling the Great Resignation as they prioritize their mental well being and demand better workplace culture. And as the wave of employees who are leaving their jobs continues, some young workers are joining the subreddit r/antiwork to communicate with like-minded individuals. Since February, the subreddit r/antiwork has grown from 235,000 subscribers to nearly one million as young employees join the channel to assert their worth, vent their frustrations, and find solace with community members who are feeling the exact same way. r/antiwork isn’t just for people who want to quit their jobs, either; the channel describes itself as, “for those who want to end work, are curious about ending work, want to get the most out of a work-free life, want more information on anti-work ideas, and want personal help with their own jobs/work-related struggles.” Screenshots of workers confronting exploitative bosses via text, asking advice from fellow fed-up workers, and a library of antiwork “resources” like Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber and a soundtrack to revel in (yes, Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5” is on the track) are some of the messages circulating the subreddit. One post accompanied by a screenshot detailing a message exchange between an employee and their boss reads, “Quit my job last night, it was nice to be home to make the kids breakfast and take them to school today! Off to hunt for a new opportunity, wish me luck :).” Some of the message screenshots are going viral on Twitter—one post from @3vanSutton has garnered nearly 50K retweets, 5,070 quote tweets, and 333K likes. Twitter users are also sharing their reactions for discovering the r/antiwork subreddit, saying “[I] inject all of this into my veins,” and calling it their, “current fav subreddit.” Organizational psychologist, Anthony Klotz, explains how experiencing a global health crisis makes people ask themselves existential questions, which is exactly what’s happening on the r/antiwork subreddit and across the internet. Workers are looking for more fulfilling opportunities, and nearly 50% of employed 18-39-year-olds say they plan on leaving their job within the next year. Despite being created in 2010, the Great Resignation has made the subreddit trend at an incredibly fast pace as people celebrate calling out their workplace’s toxic culture while realizing they’re not alone in their fight for a better job.
Former Travis Scott Fans Are Boycotting the Artist’s Music & More Following The Astroworld Tragedy
Since Travis Scott’s Astroworld concert in Houston this past weekend, nine people have died along with hundreds injured, and the lawsuits against Scott and Live Nation continue piling up with experts saying the tragedy could’ve been prevented. Scott is being criticized for not stopping his concert despite the crowd begging for him to address concert goers who were injured from a crowd surge—several clips detailing the event have gone viral on social media (#astroworldfest2021 on TikTok has 10M views). Spotify listeners are boycotting Scott’s music, saying that it makes them “physically sick” listening to his lyrics: “The way he incites crowds, the things he says when on stage, the way he encourages ‘rage mentality’ when you go to his shows, the way he disrespects authorities, security, police, and staff—anyone that’s meant to keep the concert safe,” a former Travis Scott fan tells The Daily Beast. Scott’s Spotify monthly listeners have increased by nearly 200,000 between the end of October and the Astroworld concert in Houston last Friday, fueling listeners’ decision to stop supporting his music after all that has occurred in the past week. Meanwhile, more than 5,500 people have signed a petition to ban Travis Scott from performing at next year’s Coachella Festival, and the artist has canceled his appearance at Las Vegas’ “Day N Vegas” festival. Travis Scott and Drake (who appeared as a surprise guest onstage) have released statements, with Scott claiming he was completely unaware of the tragedy until long after the concert. And while Scott and Kylie Jenner have remained active in addressing the public about the tragedy, this isn’t the first time Scott has been called out for invoking rage during his performances. In 2015, Scott once ordered a crowd at a concert in Switzerland to “fuck up” a concertgoer who he accused of trying to take his shoe, and the artist pleaded guilty to reckless conduct that occurred during his Lollapalooza concert that same year. Scott was also arrested in 2017 after people were injured in Arkansas after he encouraged the crowd to bypass security. Clips from previous Adele, Dave Grohl (Foo Fighters frontman), and Linkin Park performances are resurfacing as well, showing how each artist stopped during their past performances to address unwell fans. Twitter users have also shared videos of A$AP Rocky, Rihanna, and Lil Pump stopping shows, calling out Scott’s failure to pay attention to what was occurring on the ground as his performance raged on. Travis Scott says he will cover the funeral costs of those that died along with helping concertgoers find mental health support through a partnership with BetterHelp. However, many are calling out the problems behind the collaboration as it’s part of a brand deal, meaning Scott could be profiting from the traumatic event. Fortnite has also dropped the Travis Scott emote from its Item Shop, leaving several more brands wondering how to address their involvement with the artist. Coupled with the fact that this isn’t the first time Scott has been called out for his actions during concerts, the Astroworld tragedy has forever changed fans’ and brands’ involvement with the artist.
Hinge’s New Voice Prompts Are All Over TikTok and Twitter
Dating apps are constantly evolving as brands give the dating scene an entertaining upgrade and reimagine how young singles are interacting with each other amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Match’s Singles in America study found that 70% of young singles say they want to hear someone’s voice to get to know them (instead of text) before agreeing to a first date, and to fulfill this interest, dating app Hinge added an audio feature enabling users to post voice clips in their profiles. And although the majority of young singles say they’re interested in hearing a potential match’s voice, these new audio updates have been the focus of several viral TikToks and Tweets as users share how hilarious (and awful) some users’ voice messages are. Social media users are posting their best Hinge voice message finds, like (poorly) singing the lyrics to “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” and their answers to questions no one ever asked for. Meanwhile, other Hinge users are using voice prompts to mess with their matches by sharing opinions they know will “piss off the right men.” Users are questioning why Hinge ever thought this was a good idea, captioning their posts with, “someone needs to be fired for this Hinge update.” And while they’re mostly joking about the latter, it’s clear how they really feel about the new update as they use it for their own entertainment.
Links We’re Passing
Netflix’s Arcane was a massive hit among League of Legend fans and Twitch streamers, garnering 130 million views in China within a few hours of premiering.
Billie Eilish’s debut fragrance, Eilish, sold out shortly after launching.
Brussels sprouts are canceled, according to Gen Z.
Squid Game season two has been confirmed by writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk following season one’s massive, global success.
Demi Lovato is being called out for partnering with Gaia after fans uncovered that the platform promotes conspiracy theories.
Some influencers are turning on the Billie razor after claiming the DTC razor brand changed its product.
Lady Gaga posted her first TikTok video to show off her red carpet dress for the premiere of House of Gucci.
Harry Styles helped a fan come out to her mom during his Love on Tour show in Wisconsin.
Xbox released a video of Gen Z and Millennials reacting to the original Xbox for the brand’s 20th anniversary—and people can’t stop talking about Gen Z’s shocked reactions.
Searches for sign language learning courses have increased by 250% following the premiere of Marvel’s Eternals first deaf superhero (Makkari) played by Lauren Ridloff. Meanwhile, searches for Lauren Ridloff have increased 550% across the globe.
