The Screenshot: Week of October 12
We’re focusing on GAMING this week, here’s your TL;DR: This is “how it started,” Gen Z perspective on Among Us, Rihanna takes responsibility, Ellen Show’s latest ratings got us shook “Dreams” in the charts, ❄️, Gaming for charity, BTS in our virtual world, Last call for our TikTalk event, and what was Meghan Markle’s message for Gen Z on World Mental Health Day?
Trending
1) Our first viral trend is about “how it started…”
2) It was Indigenous Peoples’ Day yesterday – guess how many states officially recognize the holiday?
3) This Fleetwood Mac song is getting a new lease of life after this viral TikTok video!
4) Rihanna apologized for using a song in her Savage x Fenty show that upset the Muslim community…
5) Businesses with a history of racist behavior are going to be EXPOSED by this company!
6) Meghan Markle chats at Gen Z-organized event about being cyberbullied by online trolls – here’s her advice…
Scroll for answers
Final reminder
There are only a handful of spots left for our virtual event tomorrow evening, if you haven’t already got a ticket, you need to get one, like, stat! RSVP here – you will NOT want to miss out!
Your A to Gen Z
❄️ / Gen Z lingo /
(emoji)
1. Gen Zers are sending this emoji to their crushes instead of an unironic cheesy pick-up line.
2. The trend originated when Migos rapper Quavo revealed that he slid into his bae Saweetie’s DMs using the emoji, and they’re going two years strong. The internet has taken this as inspiration and sent it to the people they’re simping. I’m still waiting to hear back from my crush 👀
Ztat
Fortnite is downloading so many Gen Z icons to perform on their virtual stage, and BTS is the latest pop act to show us where it’s at. The team behind Fortnite has already made clear that they want the platform to feature as a date on artists’ World Tour posters, and this is one step closer to that vision. The pandemic has given them the means to press ahead with this as Gen Zers crave concerts and live experiences even if it’s from the seat of their homes.
After securing a string of artists like Dominic Fike and Travis Scott, this time around they’re partnering with another zeitgeist pop culture phenomenon: K-pop. With bands like Blackpink, BTS and Girls’ Generation storming the charts, the Korean wave is here and can’t be ignored any longer. Last year, BTS outsold Ariana Grande, Taylor Swift and even Billie Eilish. This weekend, they hosted another live concert with more than 100 million global viewers tuning in live. The virtual world was slowly brewing before the pandemic; now it’s downloading at a quicker speed. At the heart of this new world is gaming. It’s driving culture from the hottest music, memes and dance moves. It’s Gen Z’s virtual world, and soon everyone will be living in it.
Diary of a Gen Zer
My Adventures on ‘Among Us’
Monday, October 12th, 7:32pm
It’s official – Among Us has taken over my life. I was up til 12.45am last night playing the game, my screen time is up by 4 hours, but no regrets. It’s fun, exhilarating and ngl sometimes quite intense, and I’m not even a “gamer.”
Finding the imposter is so exciting, and it’s the getting out a magnifying glass for any sus behaviour for me. I read somewhere there’d been 28 million hours of Among Us content watched on Twitch over the past week, like WTH that’s a LOT for any game! I’m not surprised because the memes and clips of people playing it have been hilarious. I can’t even with this one though! I’m getting really into it, and there’s so. many. modes. I’ve just found new ones that I’m going to play tonight. Brb while I try them out!
Check Out
The global gaming industry is worth $137.9bn, so there’s a lot of money that could be given to great causes! Many gamers are partnering with charities and non-profits to donate and support their work. JustGiving created a dedicated section to encourage this and the Gaming Community Expo, a gaming convention in Florida, that raised $6.1m for St Jude Children’s Research Hospital through various their events. Gaming for good, we’re so behind it!
Answers to Trending
1) The internet has gone wild for the ‘How it started vs How it going/ended’ trend. It originated with a Twitter user showing us their relationship – and the subsequent response has been hilariously creative.
2) 17. Virginia was the latest state to recognise the day to celebrate Indigenous people.
3) Nathan Apodaca used Fleetwood Mac classic Dreams for a TikTok video. It went viral – the song went to No.1 on iTunes, Ocean Spray gave Apodaca a truck, and Mick Fleetwood recreated it! The impact 🤯
4) We love Rihanna, but she really messed up last week. At her Savage X Fenty runway show, she used a song which remixed the recitation of a holy Islamic text – sooo NOT ok. She took full responsibility, apologised and promised to be careful in future, aaaand that’s how you make amends.
5) Yelp will be labelling businesses that have been evidenced to have been racist towards customers.
6) This last trend is “how it ends”: Meghan Markle used her voice on World Mental Health Day at a Gen Z hosted event to open up about being hounded by the media and online. She gave some words of comfort to others who may share the same experience of toxicity on social media. Forever our Queen.
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.