TikTok ban latest, Musk 'A-team' and the design legacy of LA that fell to the fires

Weekly Exhale

I can’t shake the live media experiment unfolding in America. For those in brands and marketing, this weekend is—in theory—a defining moment. TikTok, a channel with 170 million viewers, could be abruptly switched off.

Struggling to imagine what that means? If we lived in 1970, it would be the equivalent of every television set suddenly going dark forever. Creators are set to lose millions in personal income. Brands will lose a vital connection to their audiences.

And users? They’ll be going cold turkey on their 90-minute-a-day video screen addictions. TV might’ve given us square eyes, but TikTok takes it further. Like medication, it reclines us on our sides and locks us in a dream state. TikTok created a new short-form video formula: Hook the audience and hold their attention but never fully resolve anything. The dream goes around and around like a Ferris wheel in a trance—it feels joyful but doesn’t lead anywhere except the next hit.

You’d think advertisers would be panicking, especially with Zuckerberg making noise about Meta becoming more like “X.” But the marketing world seems oddly nonchalant about the changes in the world's largest ad-funded media channels. Maybe they don’t believe the U.S. will pull the plug on TikTok, expecting some deal or reprise. Maybe they could care less if their advertising sits in the middle of Meta's fake news (was any media ever real?).

But it most likely reflects how disconnected modern brand “experts” are from the algorithm-driven, self-serve media landscape they once helped create. Let's face it: Advertising is still growing at double digits, while agency networks are consolidating faster than a shrinkflating bag of crisps. This is work AI should be doing because it's boring.

I’ll admit I was smitten with TikTok at first. It felt like television reimagined, like MTV in the 1980s. The “For You” page became my curated escape. I made new connections. There's Dr. Implausible, dissecting dystopian tech fiction with sharp wit and a PhD to match. Hannah Viney, sharing her raw recovery from cocaine and alcohol—hilarious stories that echo nights I know too well from advertising parties. And Anthony Marinelli, teaching people like me—who will never actually do it—how to program vintage synthesizers.

Here’s the thing: I feel like I know these people. I'd even message them. The truth? I don’t know these people at all. They don’t know me. And yet, I’ve probably spent more time with them than with my real friends lately. The enduring hangover from the pandemic is that we replaced human connection with a 6.1-inch retina screen. TikTok makes me feel like I'm discovering, connecting, engaging. But how much have I really learned? And how much time did I waste?

More than that, how much energy have Dr. Implausible, Hannah, and Anthony put into creating content for free? All three have openly admitted they don't make any money from their channels; they do it because they feel uplifted having "found their people."

Maybe unplugging TikTok isn’t such a bad idea—not because of Chinese data security, but because of the national threat to our sense of priorities. It’s frightening how easily we fill our minds and schedules with things—and people—that don’t matter while the things that do take a backseat. And that neglect catches up with us.

When I was 21, my mom gave me one of those flick books filled with life advice—you know, the kind with idioms and lessons for happiness. On the last page, it read: “Call your mother.” But here's the thing: I never did. At the end of her life, she reflected that she’d have liked more time. But she also admitted I hadn’t been in touch enough. Maybe, she said, since I was so distracted, more time wouldn’t have mattered after all.

Ouch. Was it the illness speaking and not her? Sure, but it stuck with me.

So, Dr. Implausible, Hannah, and Anthony, thank you for the great content. Truly. But there are people I haven’t spoken to in far too long—people I need to get back to, call and hear from, and go see and hug. Here's to returning those 90 minutes-a-day to me and the relationships that count.

Let's rise together with every issue. ♡

 

Market Movements

UK economy disappoints, grows by 0.1% in November | The Guardian

Britain should stop pretending it wants more economic growth | Financial Times

S&P 500 is little changed this week | CNBC

Brand Beat

Brands are seeing an influx of traffic from ChatGPT and Google Gemini | Modern Retail

Apple TV+ puts "Severance" employees to work at Grand Central Station | Little Black Book

Coors Light blames its ad typo on a 'case of the Mondays' | Fox News

How your favourite brands continue to rip you off | The Guardian

Innocent slashes annual losses | The Grocer

Lisa of K-pop group Blackpink gets her own Erewhon drink | WWD

The touchscreens that are ruining McDonald's | Financial Times

Awareness and consistency help retailers triumph at Christmas | MarketingWeek

TikTok ban safety net: 13 social media alternatives to know about | Vogue Business

Why TikTok users are turning to Rednote | Forbes

The TikTok ban shows America is at war with itself | Kyla Scanlon

The NBA has a marketing problem | Brand Baby

Marking 101 for the unpredictable year ahead | Business of Fashion

Brook's first lifestyle show is part of a 50-year brand plan | Fast Company

Are brands falling back in love with print? | Creative Review

15,000 WPP employees petition against a 4-day return to office | The Drum

Publicis and Leo Burnett to merge to create Leo | More About Advertising

Trending: Maise mood-matching beauty brand | Instagram

EY Foundation is System1's ad of the week | System1

The right way to build your brand, new report | Harvard Business Review

Starting Up

Dessert startup Mighty Slice raises £1m | The Grocer

2025 top 100 UK startups revealed | Startups

Freetrade sold to IG in £160m cut-price deal | Sifted

NYC startup raises $10m to get open source developers paid | CNBC

Eve, AI legal platform raises $47m series A led by Andreessen Horowitz | Fortune

For $20, this company will cure your guilt about recycling | Fast Company

Tech Tidbits

Duolingo sees 216% spike in US users learning Chinese amid TikTok ban | TechCrunch

The inside story of NVIDIA | Big Think

London launches new AI hub in bid to be a global powerhouse | Maddyness

Who is in the Musk 'A-team' vying to shape Trump 2.0 | Financial Times

Jeff Besoz's space company blasts its first rocket into orbit | BBC

Venture Vibes

Intel spins off its corporate venture arm | TechCrunch

92% of the UK's Russel Group universities now have a venture fund | Sifted

Insight Partners raises $12.5bn for new flagship fund | Bloomberg

Design Driven

Nintendo Switch 2 console design released | Variety

Walmart annoys the internet with its rebrand | Design Week

The design legacy of Los Angeles that fell to the fires | The New York Times

Hello, Happiness

What's the secret to Denmark's happy work-life balance? | BBC

The problem with the pursuit of happiness | GQ

Psychology agrees with Arnold Schwarzenegger on these four words | Inc

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