25th July 2020
From Digital Content Next and Kantar. ‘Why understanding consumer “tribes” formed by Covid-19 will help you do business better’. Meet the – Ostriches, Que Seras, Hibernators, Good Citizens, Distressed Dreamers and Precarious Worriers.
A recent piece on Vimeo – 60 Years and Still Short – a mixed media film covering six decades of race and injustice in America (3’25”).
Social Media Trends for 2020, from HubSpot.
Not a Gun’ director reflects on the campaign’s sad relevance five months since its launch (article and short video).
Fabulous destination marketing idea. ‘You’ve been through a lot this year and it looks like you need
the perfect place to let your frustrations out. Somewhere big, vast and untouched. It looks like you need Iceland. Record your scream and we’ll release it in Iceland’s beautiful, wide-open spaces. And when you’re ready, come let it out for real. You’ll feel better, we promise.’
From The Atlantic. ‘TikTok is on the chopping block. Instagram is pointless in lockdown. The best we can do is a hokey piece of software that takes us somewhere unexpected.’ The app of the summer is just a random-number generator.
Also from TikTok, four trends w/e July 17th. #howtocontour, #takeaseat, #cooldown; and #5starreviews – ‘This week the platform channelled its inner Chancellor and, like Rishi Sunak, encouraged people to get out and about again. It said: “we’re slowly getting back to life as usual and what better way to celebrate than giving a 5* review of your fav haunt..’
Apple faces the future with its 2030 climate change pledge (short video)
From NYT. Travel the world with your ears. ‘Podcasts can drop you anywhere on the map, without having to leave the comfort of your own couch.’ (reg may be necessary)
Why advertisers’ boycott of Facebook is unlikely to work.
How Wealthy is Jeff Bezos? (A data viz – keep on scrolling to the right…….)
From Aeon. Walt Whitman’s poetry frames scenes from 1920s New York in this film classic. Numberless crowded streets, high growths of iron, slender, strong, light, splendidly uprising toward clear skies …
‘This week marks nine years since South Sudan was admitted to the United Nations, becoming the 193rd and most recent entrant into the club of internationally recognised countries. This is the longest period in modern history during which the world map has remained unchanged.‘
From The Guardian. ‘It took genius to chisel these buttocks’ – the top 10 bottoms in art, chosen by our critic.
A photographer spent 40 years documenting America’s unique roadside attractions in more than 11,000 photos. Here are some of the coolest ones.
Descent. Here, a powerful, visceral depiction of the impact of depression. As one reviewer observes – (the piece looks at) ‘modes of representation for our inner landscape; especially anxiety and the overwhelming feeling it creates of suffocating, of drowning” (3’35”)
Might be a bit tricky to visit at the moment, but at least we can enjoy the view – Venice Italy – the Rialto Bridge live stream.
A Vimeo pick of the week. ‘In an underground city, where services such as healthcare and law enforcement are delegated to local vending machines, a man finds a crafty way to buy a cheap meal. (5’13”)
Transfiguration (6’24”). Brings new life to the ever-evolving walking figure.
Fascinating, repeating, soothing animated imagery from Andreas Wannerstedt on Instagram.
Asterix Corrections, cartoon from XKCD (‘the way we can do corrections in text chat by appending words with asterix’s and our brains just figure out where they go’).
Creature Discomforts. A moving lockdown tale by Aardman Animations. ‘For us, lockdown was temporary. For some animals it is for life.’ (1’53”)