TL;DR
- BeReal is taking over college campuses for its unique photo-sharing model
- Permanent bracelet welding is a chic alternative to piercings or tattoos
- “Just A Cloud Away” is TikTok’s new favorite song
- Noah Verrier is an artist with a serious skill for painting sandwiches
BeReal Is Making Photo-Sharing Casual Again For Young People
Described as a mix between Snapchat and a more casual Instagram, BeReal is taking the pressure out of posting photos. BeReal’s photo-sharing model “forces” users to document what they’re doing at a random time of day—regardless of how boring or exciting that moment is. And because the app thrives off an only-once-per-day model, it’s kind of like Wordle, too. Each user gets a “Time to BeReal” notification from the app at a random time of day, prompting them with a two-minute window to capture one picture of themself and one picture of their surroundings. The point is “You’re not glamorizing anything like you do on Instagram or Facebook,” as one 19-year-older BeReal user puts it. And the catch is, users aren’t allowed to “lurk” on their friends posts of the day until they hit publish on their own. Plus, there’s no likes; users can only interact with their friends’ posts with RealMojis, which are selfies imitating emojis. BeReal first launched in France in 2020, becoming one of the top 10 social media apps in the country last March, and it’s taking over U.S. college campuses for its authentic approach to connecting with friends through photos. College publications from the Harvard Crimson to The Daily Iowan have reported about the app’s popularity on their campuses. Sensor Tower reports that between January 2021 and February 2022, BeReal reached close to 4M downloads globally on the App Store and Google Play—with 30% of that traffic coming from February 2022. In recent years, a slew of social apps and media platforms have emerged for the next generation, and BeReal is certainly one to keep an eye on.
Permanent Jewelry Is A Gen Z & Millennial Beauty Trend on The Rise
Move over tattoos and piercings, permanent bracelet welding is coming for you. What is permanent bracelet welding you ask? It’s a chic trend where consumers go to a jewelry boutique—or a permanent bracelet bar—to get a thin, link chain “zapped” to their wrists. The permanence of it is that the chain is welded on perfectly around one’s wrist, offering a stylish alternative to friendship bracelets and tattoos. Influencers and TikTok users have been raving about the jewelry trend for its high-quality, chic look and the bonding aspect of it. Couples, friends, or relatives can go and get permanent bracelets welded on to their wrists together or by themself. #PermanentJewelry has racked up over 60M views on TikTok, while #PermanentBracelet counts 102M views as TiKTokers share about their experiences. The trend started gaining popularity last summer and has only gotten more mainstream since. One permanent bracelet boutique in Austin, which is run by Nina Berenato, often posts about the popularity of permanent link bracelets at their joint, sharing TikTok videos of (surprisingly) large turnouts at their pop-up events.
Pharrell’s “Just A Cloud Away” Is Everyone’s Favorite Track on TikTok Right Now
“This rainy day is temporary / the contrast is why we got ‘em / ‘cause sun shining through is just a day away-way-way-way,” goes the tune of this wildly popular TikTok sound. More than 1M videos have been created using the track, and while there’s no specific TikTok trend tied to the song, many users are creating feel-good videos by sharing their own “temporary rainy day” memories (a.k.a. moments in life that weren’t exactly ideal) and the moment in which the sun finally came shining through. For example, several “Just A Cloud Away” videos are from TikTokers sharing about their love at first sight moments with their romantic partners. Others are far less cheesy, sharing about the moments that feel refreshing, like cleaning on a Sunday morning or finally getting the dog they always dreamed of. And some TikTokers are just using the sound because, well, it’s a really good song. Though the track isn’t new (“Just A Cloud Away” premiered in Despicable Me 2 in 2013), it’s another example of how TikTok is making old songs new again.
Oil Paintings of Sandwiches Are All Over Twitter
First, there were cake cutting videos on TikTok. Now, oil paintings of sandwiches are captivating Twitter users everywhere. Artist Noah Verrier is behind the infamous art, and has garnered over 70K followers on Twitter. Just like Wordle, fans of Verrier’s work wake up each morning to see his new oil painting, with users commenting their requests for what they want to see next. One user replied to a painting of a PB & J and glass of milk, “Pls do an oil painting of hot wings (all flats) and a nice corona,” while another asked, “Please do a Crunchwrap supreme and Baja blast.” People are obsessed with the simplicity of the subject (a.k.a. food) combined with “a classical painting technique,” Verrier tells BuzzFeed News. For every painting, Verrier arranges the food exactly how it’s seen in the finished product, explaining that he draws his inspiration from everyday objects around him, and well, the simplicity of the American diet. Every one of Verrier’s paintings garners thousands of likes, and his work has become so popular that he’s started turning them into NFTs.
Links We’re Passing
The Oscars news you probably already know about in three parts: Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, which caused a spike in viewership immediately after, on top of scoring the highest overall engagements on Twitter for a TV show / series / broadcast.
A high school student’s history assignment is racking up likes and retweets on Twitter for all the right reasons.
“Teapot posing” is no longer en vogue, according to Gen Z.
A sound of Miranda Cosgrove talking about her favorite curse words is trending on TikTok.
Disney vowed to help repeal Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill after the state’s governor signed it on Monday.
FaZe Banks called out David Dobrik’s Bored Bunny NFT promotion as a “$6 million NFT scam.”
Not only was Taylor Swift asked to speak at NYU’s May commencement, she will receive an honorary doctorate of fine arts, too.
Entertainment News You Should Know
More Oscars news: Ticket prices and number of tickets sold for Chris Rock’s comedy tour surged after “the slap.”
Noah Beck is the latest influencer to get a movie deal.
Bridgerton season two set a Netflix viewing record during its premiere weekend.
Halo broke a Paramount+ record as the most-watched original series within 24 hours.
Netflix is working on a Spy Kids reboot.
