Never News: 5, "six seven," 8!

Hi, hello, and howdy to all of you out there in cyberspace. It's me, Producer Georgia, penning this entry of Never News from my desk on this blustery, gray November day here in Chicago.

Are you aware of just how easy it is to become a monthly, paying member of our show? You simply sidle on over to Neverpo dot st and click "become a member." There, you can choose the option that sounds right to you – might I recommend the $4/month option? You can also tip us a one time amount of money, which you may choose at your leisure. I can't promise it won't be used to replace the draping inside my lavish, Gothic estate, but I can say it will go to a great cause (replacing the draping in my lavish, Gothic estate). It'll also keep the lights on over here at Never Post HQ! A worthy cause, indeed.

Anyway, no fussing about, let's get straight to the news:

WIRED: Can TikTok be the Gen-Z QVC?

The short answer of that question is yes...but Gen Z (and anyone in the U.S. who uses TikTok) might not really want that. This piece in Wired takes a look at the ever-growing presence of TikTok Shop, which as the article's title shows, is now the size of Ebay. To put it another way, it has made over $19 billion in global sales within three months this year. But when you actually break it down, the U.S. isn't the platform's biggest buyers. Unlike China, where TikTok Shop is part-QVC, part celebrity variety show, in the United States, it's kind of...just QVC. And as this article suggests, American users don't really like that. Will that change? Will TikTok Shop become the de-facto spot for online shopping? I think we still have a way to go.

SHOW NEWS: T shirts and the Radiotopia fundraiser!

I have two wonderful updates for you all! One, the incredible t-shirts that we had made for our show are ABOUT TO SHIP OUT! So prepare yourself spiritually and physically to have these items delivered to you. Consult with your priest if you must. AND ALSO! The Radiotopia fundraiser drive is currently happening! If you like Song Exploder, The Memory Palace, Articles of Interest, or OUR DEAR SHOW NEVER POST, now is the best time to show your support with EITHER a one-time donation, or a monthly donation. Head to radiotopia.fm/donate to choose your fate.

THE NEW YORKER takes on "six seven"

NOW STAY WITH ME. It's worth knowing that I am someone who tires very quickly from writing that trends toward the needlessly flowery. And this piece from The New Yorker really flirted with my threshold for this kind of musing about discourse. But it also does an interesting job of zeroing in on one specific meme to better understand how we communicate with each other, and why. For those like me who may not know what "six seven" is, it's basically the newest memetic phrase that the children of today are super into, skibidi toilet be damned. But, as this article explores, the way that kids are using it is very rooted in the physical world – nobody is typing out "six seven" in texts, they're yelling it to each other. So, then, is this not a new kind of brain rot but rather something else? I think there are interesting points in here about the way memetic language can serve as a kind of bonding tool. But fair warning that this piece also includes undeniably exhausting phrasing, such as when the author describes his son walking outside as "tromping desultorily."

And thus we are at the end of this installment of Never News. Now is the time of encroaching Friendsgivings, where we all have to decide if we're going to actually try to make a dish or be one of eight people who brings a bottle of wine to the gathering. I'm sure you will choose whatever feels right. Ciao for now.

This late fall/early winter all I've been listening to is dreamy new wave-adjacent tunes, so here's one of my favorites by one of my favorite bands.