today in tabs: the revolution will be memed

ALSO: right-wing podcasters vs. the wbna, office chair butt, and more

Jun 13, 2025

Happy Friday, June 13th, 2025. Consider staying away from ladders, vending machines, and owls today.

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, ☕️, 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 🙏

🚨 New section alert! 🚨 I really wanted to bring some more voices into this conversation – so each Friday, I’ll be doing a rapid-response-ish, 5-question interview with some of my brilliant friends and colleagues in this space. These will be super chill (and literally a text conversation in most cases) but hopefully give you some good tidbits to mull over.

First up… digital content marketing expert Megan Burns! Megan was in the business of making things go viral in the beauty space, and now she’s using her powers in progressive politics. Hope you enjoy!

Inside the Democratic Rupture That Undermined Kamala Harris’s Presidential Hopes

When Harris eventually lost, she did so with the backing of two different efforts that sometimes worked at cross-purposes, an error that both sides still believe may have cost Democrats the election. (The Atlantic, 6/13 – free version)

‘Come and get me’: Gavin Newsom has entered the meme war

While police deployed tear gas and shot at protesters in Los Angeles with rubber bullets on Monday, Newsom shared a screenshot on TikTok of a Washington Post headline reporting that California would sue Trump over the National Guard’s presence, paired with a trending sound sampled from the movie “Mean Girls.” (WaPo, 6/11)

Zohran Mamdani brings the Bernie Sanders method to New York

Those had been candidate-killing issues in other campaigns. But New York Democrats will vote while the Trump administration is ramping up immigration raids and enforcement in major cities; when Israel’s 20-month war in Gaza has infuriated younger voters; and when the cost of housing and groceries has become a bigger issue than crime. (Semafor, 6/12)

Pro-Trump Gen Z influencer takes credit for helping ICE detain TikTok star Khaby Lame

Bo Loudon, a conservative Gen Z influencer who has called Donald Trump’s son Barron Trump his “best friend,” is taking credit for helping Immigration and Customs Enforcement briefly detain Italian-Senegalese social media star Khaby Lame, the world’s most-followed person on TikTok. (MSNBC, 6/10)

How Waymo Handles Footage From Events Like the LA Immigration Protests

The charred Waymo cars have also raised fresh questions about what kinds of technology authorities can use to surveil protesters and potentially collect evidence to make arrests. (Wired, 6/11)

Mattel is still deciding what its first AI toy will be

OpenAI and Mattel on Thursday announced a partnership to give Mattel workers access to ChatGPT Enterprise and collaborate on "AI-powered products and experiences." A small team at Mattel's El Segundo, California headquarters is working on the project, which is still in its early stages, the source said. (Axios, 6/12)

Lucy’s note: Yet another instance of people needing to watch more movies… hopefully, these folks at least catch the M3GAN sequel.

Rating the ‘Romantic Value’ of New York’s Single Men

All that data was fed into an algorithm to create each user’s “romantic value” and then streamed in real time onto the ticker, rating the men in the middle of the mecca of finance. Over the course of this week, the ticker will also be displayed on a mobile billboard that is being parked around the city, making stops at the Wall Street bull, in Central Park, close to the Washington Square Park arch and near Rockefeller Center. (NYT, 6/11)

Right-Wing Outlet Claims They Were Denied Press Access to Two WNBA Games

The WNBA’s alleged denial comes after several weeks of pot-stirring from Gaines and OutKick, who have repeatedly claimed — with little to no evidence — that Griner made a racial remark directed at celebrated Indiana Fever point guard Caitlin Clark during a May 22 Fever-Dream game. (Them, 6/9)

Gen Z is embracing a digital detox and the ‘Martha Stewart summer’

The data backs this up: according to a recent survey by ExpressVPN, 46% of Gen Zers are actively taking steps to limit their screen time. Also catering to the demand, the market for digital detox apps is now projected to reach around $19.44 billion by 2032. (Fast Company, 6/11)

Lucy’s note: This is interesting to pair with this Washingtonian profile of a DC, millennial CEO of a digital fundraising company… who is personally anti-phone.

Do You Have Office Chair Butt?

According to Lara Heimann, DPT, a physical therapist and founder of LYT Yoga, “office chair butt is a playful term describing the weakening and flattening of the gluteal muscles — primarily the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus — due to prolonged sitting.” (Bustle, 6/10)

Lucy’s note: DO NOT READ if you’re already feeling very stressed and anti-capitalist and existential lol.

How I’m Fixing My Broken Attention Span

Our inability to pay attention is not just the smartphone’s fault. Computer scientist Cal Newport, who has published several books on distraction and productivity, suspects the problem began with PCs, email, and digital calendars, which allowed bosses more access to knowledge workers’ productivity and in turn increased the number of projects and administrative tasks they were expected to work on concurrently. (Vulture, 6/12 – free version)