NEWSWIRE: 3/19/18
- A new app called LegalFling enables users to grant sexual consent via a digital agreement. The #MeToo movement has prompted some soul-searching about the legality and practicality of obtaining sexual consent (how to account for in-the-moment decisions, for instance)—which this app does not completely resolve. (The New York Times)
- NH: Throughout history (and prehistory), nearly every culture has invested a great deal of energy--taboos, laws, stigmas, institutions--to try to channel sexual activity into stable and predictable relationships. It is the conceit of the postmodern west that individuals don't really need this guidance and could do just as well negotiating their own choices on the spot. This hasn't worked all that well. It's not enough to say that "no means no" or (the more recent favorite) "yes means yes," because in fact yes and no often mean the opposite and the deal is always open to renegotiation. Apps like LegalFling--an oxymoron if there ever was one--fail to grasp that the soul of any good contract is a meeting of the minds after dispassionate reflection. When contracts really matter, like in IPOs and land sales, we require "cooling off" periods. Not here.
- In the run-up to Brexit, the U.K. faces a severe shortage of young blue-collar workers. Net immigration, a source of strength for blue-collar fields, has slowed since the Brexit vote—and most homegrown Millennials just don’t see trade work as a viable career option. (Bloomberg Business)
- NH: This has to be the umpteenth article I've read about how less immigration will push up the relative price of cutting lawns, preparing food, nursing the sick, and (yes) building homes. Horrors! How in the world did America or the U.K. get any of these things done back in the 1950s and 1960s when immigration rates were lower? Well, I guess we paid a bit more to persuade nonimmigrants to do these things. Funny how rarely I've ever heard anyone fulminate about how lots of immigrants pushes up the relative price of lawyering, managing, banking, and renting. Up until Obama, traditional New-Deal Democrats were vocal about how immigration tilted the playing field away from the have-nots. Those Democratic leaders have since retired--and those Democratic voters are now leaning toward Trump.
- Nickelodeon announced plans to up its content by 20% and double down on VR and AR in an attempt to keep kids off Netflix and YouTube. While this Hail Mary is admirable, it simply falls short: Adults are increasingly cutting the cord, and streaming services and the Internet are full of kid-friendly and budget-friendly options. (Engadget)
- NH: Ten years ago, back in its profitable, iCarly heyday, Nickelodeon did everything right except this: It failed to define itself as a brand. Disney is a brand (you just know it's Disney within seconds after you start seeing it). Cartoon Network is a brand (OK, maybe more of an "anti-brand.") But Nick? It's just lots of everything. Neither kids nor parents know what they're getting. Which is a growing problem now that channels are disappearing and content is migrating everywhere on digital. I've always thought Nick could learn from Disney, which--witness the expected 2019 launch of its own streaming service--is a lot more protective of its image and identity.
- Xer Sara Tatyana Bernstein isn’t flattered to see her generation’s clothing come back in style. Rather than feeling a sense of nostalgia at the sight of crushed velvet dresses and combat boots, Bernstein notes that “we wore those clothes precisely to avoid becoming an easily legible demographic.” (Racked)
- NH: That's your typical Xer, always wanting to stay off other generations' radar screens! Young Boomers, with their clothing, wanted to make a big point (with a capital "P"). In reaction, young Xers did everything they could to avoid larger themes. Grunge, hip-hop, and the ubiquitous black and damaged castaway looks were all efforts to avoid meaning. The Xer penchant for randomly mixing and matching discordant styles paved the way for today's hipster look, which urban Millennials have since turned into an unironic uniform.
- Millennial contributor Justin Mutch fights back against claims that Millennials are killing every industry. He makes a solid point: Millennials are actually helping plenty of industries (gyms, live events), and many of the ones they’re accused of “killing” may not be worth saving. (The Pioneer)
- NH: This is LOL funny, because this Millennial takes these "killing" accusations so seriously! He does make the clever point that the same Xers and Boomers who say that Millennials aren't spending enough on houses, cars, diamonds, watches, or whatever also charge that Millennials aren't saving enough. The only effective response to mindless generational putdowns is no response: Just ignore them.
- New projections show that, by 2035, the 65+ population will outnumber the 18-and-under population for the first time in U.S. history. As Boomers grow older and live longer and Millennials drive down birth rates, it’s no wonder the nation is going gray. (U.S. Census Bureau)
- NH: America is bringing up the rear on the aging front. Japan hit this breakpoint (65+ passing 18-and-under) back in 2004. Most of Europe is getting there now. The United States still has 17 years to go. That will be one year after the insolvency of Social Security, as currently projected by the OASDI trustees.
- A new piece chronicles how utility companies are adapting to the digital age by investing in frontier technologies, from grid maintenance software to electric vehicle charging stations. Once a low-risk, low-reward sector known for its steady dividend yields, utilities have been forced by the green revolution to take a leap of faith in finding new revenue streams. (Bloomberg Business)
- NH: As we have argued (see: "Are Utilities Losing Power?"), utilities have no choice but to get into the conservation service business.
- Fully 84% of 18- to 29-year-olds have read a book in any format during the past year, including 75% who’ve read a print book—both the highest share of any age group. This generation’s affinity for reading, which began at an early age, defies the common notion that technology is turning us into a semi-literate society. (Pew Research Center)
- NH: Interestingly, Millennials are more likely than older generations to read a book in any individual format: audio book, e-book, or print book. Are these serious books? Hard to say, but it is instructive that the three print news sources that skew most toward Millennials are (in this order, as of 2012) The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Economist. Not exactly news for dummies. (See: "Millennials: A Generation of Page-Turners.")
- Tech columnist Farhad Manjoo spent two months relying solely on newspapers for his news—with some interesting results. Not only does he now consider himself better informed and more intellectually well rounded, but he also found himself less anxious and with more free time on his hands. (The New York Times)
- NH: Here's one more sign of the growing tech-lash. (See: "Tech-Lash Batters Silicon Valley.") Sure, in the Age of Trump, it may be self-serving for elite journalists to say we'd all be better off by reading elite journals. But surely Manjoo is correct that setting oneself up to be constantly distracted by "breaking" news and clickbait commentary is a time-wasting and thought-degrading lifestyle.
- Facing increased competition from big-box and online retailers, Toys R Us announced that it will be closing all 800 of its U.S. stores. In the words of one brand management professor, the toy retailer also missed the mark on providing a winning customer experience: “You can find more zest for life in a Walgreens.” (The Washington Post)
DID YOU KNOW?
Fashion Cleans Up Its Image. A new ad campaign by New York-based fashion designer Alexander Wang uses a novel tactic: showing nothing but clothes. Instead of featuring scantily clad models, Wang relies on photos of clothes alone to push his new line. This move is just the latest by the beauty and fashion industry to stamp out sexism: CVS in January said it will ban excessive retouching and other alterations of images used on beauty product packaging. What’s going on? To some extent, companies are responding to the new demands of today’s #MeToo climate. (See: “After #MeToo, What’s Next?”) Brands from Jimmy Choo to Victoria’s Secret have been criticized in recent months for hypersexualized, tone-deaf branding. But some say that the trend predates #MeToo, and is rooted in the Millennial desire for inclusivity. According to Rachel Saunders of consultancy Cassandra, “Part of it is the modern push for gender equality, but also because a super sexualized ad is going to make [the brand] seem uncreative and outdated to [Millennials].”
