today in tabs: life on cringe mountain

ALSO: MAGA takes aim at the WBNA, you can buy Etsy products on Chat GPT, landline renaissance, and more

Sep 30, 2025

Happy Tuesday, September 30th.

Just a reminder: every Tuesday and Friday, I’ll be in your inbox with the latest in politics, tech & social media, culture, and other relevant topics – and I’ll share some notes and tips on what I’m keeping my eye on.

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YouTube to pay $22 million for White House ballroom to settle lawsuit from Trump

YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by President Trump, who sued the video-sharing platform and its chief executive for temporarily suspending Mr. Trump’s account after the 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, court papers filed Monday show. (CBS News, 9/29)

MAGA Is Coming for the WNBA

Those stances have caught the notice of the online right, which frequently trolls the WNBA over the quality of play and its player activism. When the league was recently vexed by an epidemic of disruptive fans throwing green dildos on the basketball court — a practice that was condemned as misogynistic and also dangerous to players — some conservatives laughed it off or encouraged more disruptions. (POLITICO, 9/27)

Right-wing media praises Rogan, but he’s just talking science

However, the conversation largely affirmed existing research: dose matters, not avoidance. Both Rogan and Strassman stressed the drug’s safety when used appropriately, noting the rare risk of liver toxicity only at high doses. (Salon, 9/28)

Meta launches ‘Vibes,’ a short-form video feed of AI slop

Since no one really wants an AI-generated version of TikTok, the user comments in response to Zuckerberg’s announcement were about what you’d expect. The top comment on the post reads: “gang nobody wants this,” while another popular comment says: “Bro’s posting ai slop on his own app.” (TechCrunch, 9/25)

Etsy pops 16% as OpenAI announces ChatGPT Instant Checkout for the shopping site

Instant Checkout initially supports single-item purchases directly from U.S. Etsy sellers, and it’s available to U.S. ChatGPT Plus, Pro and Free users. OpenAI said more than one million Shopify merchants, including Skims and Glossier, are coming soon. (CNBC, 9/29)

Talent Agents Circle AI Actress Tilly Norwood As Studios Quietly Embrace AI Technology

The revelation of a possible agent signing for Tilly Norward comes just days after Van der Velden officially announced the creation of Particle6 offshoot Xicoia, an AI talent studio designed to create, manage and monetize a new generation of hyperreal digital stars. (Deadline, 9/27)

Uber Sees Non-Takeout Deliveries Becoming $12.5 Billion Business

Though Uber is a leader in the US rideshare market, it has acknowledged that it can do more to deepen consumer habits on the delivery side, especially in the competitive grocery and retail space dominated by players like Walmart Inc., Amazon and Instacart. Khosrowshahi said in August that Uber still has “a long runway to drive further adoption” in delivery, noting that 75% of its rideshare customers have not tried ordering grocery and retail goods from the Uber app. (Bloomberg, 9/26 – free version)

Climbing Cringe Mountain With Gen Z

According to Dr. Katz, Gen Z grew up constantly observed, with cameras everywhere and social media to amplify the scrutiny. This nonstop exposure, combined with apps built around judgment, has created a culture of digital surveillance that makes many young people hesitant to try new things or express themselves openly, lest they be called cringe. (NYT gift link, 9/28)

Gen Z Is Getting Divorced, With the Help of AI

Rather than tap professionals for help outlining their rights and belongings during a separation, Combs and Stange say their younger clients will have bots draft said agreements and help them grasp complicated legal terms. But before you judge, both experts agree it’s not totally misguided for people to consult AI tools as a general information source during a split. (Cosmopolitan, 9/25)

Parents are bringing back the landline

Now, as more parents look to steer their children away from screens and social media, the landline phone — a mainstay of Gen X- and millennial-generation childhoods — is having something of a renaissance. Over the summer, a group of parents in Maine made headlines after they established a “landline pod” of families who opted for stationary, corded, audio-only phones for their kids; one mom created an online resource for other parents who are inspired to do the same. (WaPo, 9/30)

Farming, Computer, Restaurant Industries Lead U.S. Ratings

The farming and computer industries lead Gallup’s annual ratings of 25 key U.S. business sectors, with 60% and 59% of Americans, respectively, viewing them “very” or “somewhat” positively. The restaurant industry is the only other sector rated positively by a majority of Americans (52%) this year. (Gallup, 9/25)

This is the oldest blue pigment ever discovered in Europe

Compared to other natural pigments, blue has a relatively young history. The only other known example of blue in the Paleolithic is on figurines found in modern Siberia, but researchers didn’t identify what type of pigment created the color. Another study found evidence that roughly 33,000 years ago, people were processing a plant that can be used to make natural blue dye as well as medicine at a site in Georgia, but there was no evidence of either. (Nat Geo, 9/28 – free version)