the newsletter, every issue.
Eight hundred and eighty-five editions of yap, sat in one place. One long read every friday morning. Always free.
Eight hundred and eighty-five issues.
Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model wants you to believe times have changed. Have they?
Netflix's new docuseries about Tyra Banks and ANTM wants you to believe the fashion industry has changed and grown since those toxic days. But the toxicity just got better at hiding. Now it's wellness influencers selling disordered eating as self care and fitness accounts using Ozempic then selling you workout guides that promise their results.
Ok, like, can we talk about the actual good stuff that’s happening right now?
While everyone has been spiralling with doomerism online, genuinely good things are happening. Punch the monkey was rejected by his mother and clings to an IKEA plushie. The CEO visited and donated 33 more toys. A friend learned to make Iranian pastries to help someone feel at home. The UK passed a law requiring platforms to remove intimate images within 48 hours.
BREAKING: Reddit figured out how to sell ads without pissing everyone off.
Reddit went from ignored marketing platform to legitimate channel with 121 million daily users in 2026. Brands are succeeding by using nostalgia driven storytelling, real user generated content, niche inspired campaigns, and serialized approaches that unfold over time instead of one off launches.
You met me at a very Chinese time of my life
What started as internet memes about being Chinese became genuine cultural adoption happening in real time. Gua Sha, lymphatic drainage, Chinese cooking, and Lunar New Year traditions have gone mainstream through social media at unprecedented speed and scale.
Why no one is engaging with your content (and how to fix it)
You've written great copy with professional visuals but get zero engagement. The problem isn't the algorithm. Your content is either too self focused, too safe, has weak openings, lacks interaction, or follows a post and pray strategy with no real plan.
How to make your brand culturally relevant (not just trendy)
Cultural relevance happens when consumers actively talk about and champion your brand because it genuinely resonates with their world. Brands like Nike, Spotify, SKIMS, and BeReal didn't chase trends. They created them by becoming part of the larger cultural conversation.
Your Brand Voice Sounds Like Everyone Else's. Here's How to Fix It.
Your brand voice sounds like every other brand because you're all using the same copywriter called ChatGPT. AI homogenization creates copy that's technically correct but completely forgettable with the same cadence and phrases that feel slightly off.
Stop building your house on rented land.
Social media feels like your audience but you don't own that relationship. You're renting access and the platform is your landlord. They control reach and distribution. Terms can change overnight with zero warning. Email is different. You own the list and the relationship. The platform is just infrastructure. This is why you need channels where you have actual control over your audience connection.
You’re probably using Jestermaxxing wrong. And you definitely don’t know where it came from.
The viral slang you see everywhere like jestermaxxing, mogging, and looksmaxxing seems harmless. But these terms came from a deeply toxic corner of the internet obsessed with extreme body changes. Most people using these words have no idea about the guy at the center of it all. The steroids. The meth. The bonesmashing. This is how internet language works. The person fades but the words stick around.
Why sharing your secrets could be the strategy you've been looking for
Death To Stock's transparent approach shows how sharing your process builds trust and demand. Radical transparency positions you as an authority while showing value complexity.
Everything, Everywhere, All At Once.
Modern social media demands have quadrupled since 2021. Content creators now juggle multiple platforms with different formats, making the job impossibly complex.
Are you feeling The Symptoms?
Digital workers can't log off from world chaos like others. The solution is becoming sovereign: witnessing events while channeling rage into productive action.