today in tabs: the gen z gaze

ALSO: Missouri town realizes they actually don't want their friends and neighbors deported, the shared personality traits of influencers, and more

Jun 10, 2025

Happy Tuesday, June 10th, 2025.

There are a bunch of new folks here, so first and foremost, WELCOME :)

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.

Tips, thoughts, concerns, good jokes, bad jokes, tea, etc?

And finally, if you enjoy this newsletter and want to share it with your network (and/or your chronically online friends), that would be so appreciated 🙏

‘Carol,’ Whose Detention Rattled Her Small Missouri Town, Is Released

Ms. Hui, who was born in Hong Kong, entered the United States 20 years ago on a short-term tourist visa and stayed long past its expiration, in the process building a life, having three children and becoming a beloved waitress serving waffles and hugs to the breakfast crowd at a diner in Kennett, a rural farming town in the Bootheel of Missouri. (NYT, 6/4)

Lucy’s note: This is a great piece on people in a highly conservative town re-discovering their empathy (🫠🫠) when a member of their community who was an immigrant actually got arrested.

Gen Z Doesn't Seem To Care About Protesting Against Trump

"We're seeing young people be really intentional about the ways in which they can move the needle," Litman added, pointing to consumer activism and social media activism and highlighting that Trump cares about the latter. (Newsweek, 6/8)

Lucy’s note: Yes, they do! Which is actually the point the piece makes – another not-so-great headline decision here :(

Let Chi Ossé Explain

Why Shit Not Working launched in January with a nearly two-minute clip on why it takes so long to build new transit in the city. Since then, the series has racked up more than 3.7 million views on Instagram and 670,000 on TikTok, according to figures from Ossé’s office. (Intelligencer, 6/9 – free version)

DNC launches live, daily show on YouTube

The party has been reeling since its losses in the 2024 elections, but it's counting on growing discontent with President Trump to help fuel interest in the show. Party officials say the show, which will be called the "Daily Blueprint"… is aimed at focusing Democrats' messaging and highlighting how Democrats are countering Trump's moves. (Axios, 6/9)

Content creators can now speak directly to Congress. What will that accomplish?

The caucus, which includes Clarke, Van Duyne, other reps, and multiple creators like the Patricks, plans to educate not-so-internet-savvy members of Congress about how economically and socially significant the content creation industry has become–and how the people powering it need more support and protection. (Tubefilter, 6/6)

Scientists Figured Out the Personality Traits of Influencers, and It Could Explain a Lot

In a new study published in the journal Telematics and Informatics, researchers from Poland's University of Wrocław and Oxford found that young people who are extraverted, self-involved, and — quelle surprise — dramatic were more likely to aspire to being an influencer than their more introverted and calmer counterparts. (Futurism, 6/8)

Lucy’s note: FWIW, I think this piece is a little too harsh on the kids who want to be influencers… and misses, in my opinion, the fact that successful influencers can bring in a ton of money, which is getting harder and harder to do in most other career paths.

Everything Millennial Is Cool Again

Members of generations Z and Alpha are putting their own mark on once-ubiquitous phenomena, and according to Ms. Miller, they’re the winners: “I think they are doing it better.” (NYT, 6/6)

“The Gen Z gaze”: Gen Z’s refusal to say hi to customers is setting off older generations

Discourse around what some are calling the “Gen Z gaze” erupted on X this week as older generations complained about customer service. The “kids these days” grumblings are hardly new to this world, but some tied the lack of greeting from many young cashiers, front desk folks, and similar workers to modern technology and recent traumatic events. (Daily Dot, 6/7)

From Girl Beer to Mom Water, Drinks Are Getting Weirdly Personal

“It gave companies direct access to [spaces] that already existed,” said Jen Kaarlo, a content strategist focused on women’s equality. By speaking straight to specific audiences, brands can differentiate themselves in a dizzyingly crowded market. (Bon Appetit, 6/6 – free version)

Breakthrough in search for HIV cure leaves researchers ‘overwhelmed’

Now researchers from the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, have demonstrated a way to make the virus visible, paving the way to fully clear it from the body. (The Guardian, 6/5)

Lucy’s note: This is especially important in the context that Trump is trying to cut funding for PEPFAR, the US’s global AIDS treatment program.

Sinful. Poisonous. Stinky? How tomatoes overcame their wicked reputation

There are many myths and legends about how the tomato was once seen as the so-called “poison apple,” but how it lost its evil reputation and became a beloved piece of produce is a complicated story. According to historian Andrew F. Smith… the tale involves a farmer and horticulturist who went to brazen lengths to prove the tomato was safe to eat. (National Geographic, 6/4)