Here at Passionfruit HQ, our word of the week is “cringe.” Our latest content includes Trump’s cringe FBI pick, Liz Plank’s exploration of how millennial cringe evolved, the general existence of MrBeast, and Mark Zuckerberg’s declaring he’ll make Facebook less cringe.
We also released a video on brain rot for all those words that make you physically cringe. This round-up might make you wince a little, but we promise it’s all worth it.
Trump Appoints a Podcaster as Deputy FBI Director
Arguably, podcasters have been the backbone of Trump’s campaign. His appearances on Impaulsive and The Joe Rogan Show made the Gen Z right-wingers come out in droves, with Dana White even thanking Rogan during his victory speech for Trump.
Now, Trump is taking this reliance on creators further as he appoints Dan Bongino as Deputy FBI Director. In a post on Truth Social, he dubs Bongino as “one of the most successful podcasters in the country” adding that he is “willing and ready to give up in order to serve.” How noble.
The problem with this is that being a right-wing reactionary on Rumble doesn’t exactly qualify you for a senior position in the FBI, so I for one will be watching this unfold between my fingers. You can read the full article here.
To Restore Facebook’s Popularity, Mark Zuckerberg Is Turning To Creators
Facebook isn’t what it used to be, but Mark Zuckerberg isn’t giving up on it just yet. In a recent earnings call, the founder and CEO emphasized how much he wants to return to “OG Facebook,” adding: “I think that there are a lot of opportunities to make it way more culturally influential than it is today.”
And who is more culturally influential than creators? According to The Information, Zuckerberg has enlisted the likes of MrBeast and Mark Rober — a science creator — to make Facebook relevant again. While MrBeast didn’t speak to The Information, Rober revealed that his team had been in crisis talks with Facebook for six months. But will this be enough? To learn more, check out the full piece here.
How MoneyLion Joined the Beast Games and Saw Active Users Increase 135 Percent
If MoneyLion looks familiar to you, don’t worry. It’s not all in your head. The mobile banking and loan app was one of the main sponsors of Beast Games, the biggest (and possibly the most controversial) reality show in history.
As part of the deal, MoneyLion sponsored a 4.2 million sweepstakes, which was divided into eight draws with over 1,000 prizes. The competition was advertised all over the US, which, according to MoneyLion, led to three and a half million people entering the sweepstakes. The giveaway also increased MoneyLion’s daily active users by 135%.
In this exclusive interview with Passionfruit, Tim Binder, MoneyLion’s Head of Brand Marketing, walks us through how the advertising campaign and sweepstakes came to fruition. You can read the full piece here.
From Millennial Cringe to Admiration, Why Gen Z Creators Long For The 2000s
One of the most significant wars of our time was the one between millennials and Gen Z. While Gen Z saw themselves as cool, hip, and cutting edge, millennials were constantly derided for one simple reason: they were cringe. As writer Liz Plank points out, the term “millennial core” started as “an entire trend dedicated to making fun of millennials for simply existing.”
Their crime? Too much earnestness and not nearly enough irony. However, the tables have turned in recent years. Gen Zs are now filling TikTok full of earnest edits romanticizing and even “glamourizing” quintessential millennial culture, including fan cams of shows like Girls and New Girl.
In her piece, Plank explores this abrupt change of heart, breaking down how exactly Gen Z got to this point and what facets of millennialhood are most enviable. You can read the full piece here.
1 Billion Active Users a Month Are Watching Podcasts on YouTube
Spotify has reigned supreme as the most popular podcast platform for a long time. But YouTube has just thrown a spanner in the works. In a blog post, the video platform shared that 1 billion active users per month watch YouTube podcasts.
Additionally, YouTube revealed that viewers watched 400 million hours of video podcasts per month on television. This figure doesn’t include podcasts watched on cell phones or computers.
What this does show is that audio is out, and video is in. While Spotify has attempted to turn the tide by offering video podcasts too, it’ll be pretty tough for them to top YouTube’s figures. To find out more, read the full piece here.
Passionfruit on YouTube: What Is Brain Rot?
In 2024, “Brain Rot” was voted word of the year by the Oxford English Dictionary. The term, which has become widely used across the chronically online, is a way of describing the collective language of the internet. Indeed, the internet and meme culture have become so vast and intricate, it has its own ecosystem and language.
Words like “rizz,” “gyatt,” and “Skibidi” may sound like nonsense to the average person, but for Gen Alpha, it’s an essential part of their daily lexicon: even if, to be honest, they kind of are nonsense.
For Passionfruit, Taylor Lorenz has broken down “brain rot” and what role it plays in modern social media. You can watch the full video above.
