The Screenshot: Week of November 16
Dating in 2020 has not exactly been the smoothest, so we’re telling you all about it – here’s your TL;DR: Shooting my shot; Gen Z takes on Snap and ‘gram updates; Viral Song highlighting accessibility for deaf people; Meaningful Conversations; No YouTube Rewind for 2020; Smoke coming out of the new Xbox; McPlant patties and what does the future of dating look like for Gen Z?
Trending
⬆️ This song is blowing up on TikTok, not just because of its catchy beats but for its purpose…
⬆️ Snapchat and Instagram just updated their apps, but only one has got us going ‘YAAAS’…
⬆️ What Feels Like A Screenshot Trend But Isn’t A Screenshot Trend… where’s this viral trend from?
⬇️ Smoke coming out the new Xbox Series X? This is what the company said.
⬇️ McDonalds keeping hush about who’s making the McPlant patties… hmmm.
⬇️ YouTube Rewind is an annual tradition, but it’s not going ahead this year because…
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Your A to Gen Z
Shooting My Shot / Gen Z lingo /
(Phrase)
1. When you put your life, ego and everything on the line to get your crush’s attention.
2. I mean, they say a love story starts with Once Upon A Time, but really it starts with ‘So I shoot my shot…’
Ztat
Online dating really is a whirlwind. The number of likes, swipes and ego-boosts are countless but so are the options. It’s like a real buffet. It used to go something like this… hit up your favorite match, get a cocktail, and live happily ever after. But what do you do when that’s the only option you have available to you?
The pandemic hit our social lives like a meteor. Without IRL meet-cutes, we’re now having to make romantic connections online. So, when you take out the lingering bar music and the clinking of plates and glasses, all is left is you, them, and their interests – virtually. And by subtracting the carnal urge on the first date, it seems connection trumps all else and meaningful conversations rise to the top. In the past, texting was only a means to a meeting, but now, the jump from Tinder DMs to iMessage is the real first step. Slow dating is the new endless swiping.
Source: Match
Group Chat
Pandemic Changing the Dating Game
Tinder is really this generation’s OG dating app, following in the footsteps of sites like Match.com and eHarmony, making meeting new people digital and easy. . Dating once was a mutual friend set-up, blind date, or handing over your number to a stranger in a bar — now, it has turned into swipe-mania, and you could get swept off your feet at any point.
As the tech shifted our options, the pandemic has shifted our habits. Before the pandemic, more than half of Gen Z saw video and virtual dating as important, and a 1/5 saw a texting session as a real date – yes, really! Connection is connection, whatever form it takes. Now, all the top dating apps, including Hinge, Tinder and Bumble, have an embedded video feature, and 41% of Gen Z say they’ll continue using them regularly for sure. I mean, terrible first dates at restaurants are so retro; but now you can just find out what someone is like by e-meeting them first.
And let’s talk about the innovative experiences the apps are bringing. After all, it’s mutual experiences that bring us close together. Tinder brought its Swipe Night series back to the app, where users go through a create-your-own-adventure and bond with others that ended up at the same place. We may not be in the Hang The DJ episode of Black Mirror or AMC’s Soulmates just yet, but tech is growing its role in dating. It’s no wonder Facebook is trying to get in the game.
Screenshot Of The Week
More on Trending…
1. Sleepwalkrs and MNEK created this banger and their viral dance move is inspired by sign language. They worked with deaf and hard-of-hearing dancers… and dropped a BTS video to highlight accessibility in music.
2. Snapchat has put Astrology charts AKA Gen Z’s second language front and center and we’re LOVING it… but this Instagram update is a total no-no.
3. This trend is going round on Twitter… and we’re totally seeing things for what they are.
4. There’s no smoke actually coming out of the new Xbox, but viral videos with people blowing their vape onto it sure made it look like itl! Xbox got 440k likes for addressing it.
5. McDonald’s is releasing a plant burger, but won’t tell us where they got it from… we’re sus.
6. 2020 has just been TOO much! YouTube issued a statement saying it wouldn’t be right to just go on like normal.
talk to us, not about us.
Jawwad Mustafa is the Director of The Screenshot Newsletter. He’s always got a drink in hand - either peppermint tea, peach iced tea or a vanilla latte. If you see him with anything else, you’ll really need to vote for him as The Imposter. You can find his creativity on Instagram at @JawwadTheCreator.