Deep Dive: Squishy & Swipe
The unboxing economy turned cheap squishy toys into a TikTok-native collectible category. And it has almost nothing to do with the toys themselves. I am a mom, but at two and a half, my daughter hasn’t figured out how to chase TikTok trends yet. I knew squishy toys were popular in the vague way you […]
365 Buttons
365 Buttons, and How It Actually Only Has To Make Sense To Me. The 365 Buttons meme is more than a TikTok bit. It’s a quiet rejection of platform logic, productivity culture, and overexplained marketing. Brands should pay attention to what it signals: the return of the personal, the offline, and the unapologetically inexplicable. A […]
Quick Dip: 2016 Core
2016 Core Is Back: Why A Decade On, Social Media Is Loving 2016 Again The cream rises to the top, as they say. // 2016 Fashion Blog Back to 2016 From chokers and bottle flips to viral throwbacks and unfiltered content, the “2026 is the new 2016” wave reveals a collective longing for simpler internet […]
TikTok Shop and the #DeInfluence Trend
“This Isn’t TikTok Anymore”: Creators Are Calling Time on the Commerce-ification of the Feed TikTok Shop isn’t just cluttering the feed. It’s reshaping what influence feels like, and not everyone’s buying in. A Personal Note (and a Familiar One) In a recent Trending RX piece, I wrote about what happened when I tested a TikTok […]
Trending Rx
How Biohacking, Supplements, and Social Media Are Rewriting the Rules of Pharma. From weight-loss injections to mushroom powders, social platforms are blurring the line between wellness and medicine. What began with DTC prescription brands has evolved into a biohacking culture that markets mood, metabolism, and mental clarity like consumer products. The Prescription Aesthetic Is No […]
The Miniverse Effect
Miniatures, Major Reach: How MGA’s Miniverse Captured TikTok, Cross‑Generational Fans, and the Unboxing Economy. How a niche DIY collectible line became a “kidult” favorite through influencer strategy, surprise packaging, and viral unboxing content. My collection (so far!) I bought my MGA Miniverse first blind ball about four months ago on a whim. I had seen […]