Benito Bowl, Spotify the Bookshop and Real Connections
The weekly look at three curious points of tension, plus optimistic ‘what if’ ideas for what to do moving forward.
Together against the outrage
A real wedding?! Lets never stop discussing this. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl half-time show showed off pure, infectious party party celebration and inclusion; an alternative vision to those behind the outrageous rot festering elsewhere.
Moving forward: Well, first off: reclaim joy as an act of recharging your energy in pursuit of systemic change. Secondly, brands need to leave surface-level inclusive messaging in the last decade and invest in long-term, cross-cultural initiatives that centre belonging. If you’re planning a regular ole standalone campaign, instead ask, “Does this serve the needs of the people in the system?”
Connection vs. Extraction
Live shopping can’t stop, won’t stop on TikTok, Doughnut-economy inspired neighbourhood design and Spotify partnering with bookshop.org to sell physical books. What’s the tension, what’s the link? Frictionless shopping from trusted creators not faceless giants and an desperately seeking connection, trust and purpose at a time of algorithmic addiction.
Moving forward: Get critical on what you’re really creating i.e. connection not extraction. Building a live commerce feature? Let’s not get too parasocial. Pair it with education, repair, resale and platforming up-and-coming creatives. The goal should be to start on/off-line experiences that considers attention not exploits it, and seeks to balance the pro’s of both physical + digital experiences with slow + fast content.
Let’s Play
LEGO and TED are making play a global priority, right when some educators demand deep reading again and talk of “critical ignoring” as a survival strategy vs. distraction economics. What’s this? A consistent push to restore focus and real-world joy. Yes! Neighbourhood-led models like CIVIC SQUARE reminds us that change happens locally, collectively, and slowly. It does happen, it can happen.
Moving forward: Create the things you wish existed and honestly? Get offline a bit more often. Could that post go out directly into your neighbourhood? Get playful and give it a go. I’m of the opinion that anyone vehemently anti-offline has over indexed in socials and the attention economyy. But intentional futures depend on people who aren’t exhausted. We gotta connect!