Welcome To Friday Fives, Vol. 267
This week we’re taking the golden arches to space, euologizing the Twitter logo (and perhaps the whole platform), getting another look at the Barnes & Noble Nook, taking the buzz out of buzzwords, and getting in touch with our inner Kidults.
After the Grimace Birthday promotion’s wild and sometimes unsettling success, McDonald’s is giving another character the spotlight. CosMc, an alien and lesser-known character from McDonald’s lore, is getting their own spin-off restaurant. Conspiracy theorists are already connecting the dots between this spacey announcement and the recent UFO whistleblower hearings. At this point, nothing would surprise us. Even if this was a sly announcement for the first McDonald’s on the moon. It’ll happen.
Twitter’s iconic blue bird is now extinct (RIP), and replacing it is an ominous X. The latest shakeup to Elon Musk’s Twitter world represents a new chapter for the faltering social media giant, but can it cover up all of the harm that’s occurred since his takeover? It seems public opinion is a universal “hell no.” Musk’s idea for a super app is well underway, but the dark facts since his takeover are too shocking to ignore. Slurs against Black Americans more than tripled, hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community rose 119%, and QAnon-related hashtags rose 91%…this isn’t even half of the concerning news.
Barnes & Noble’s journey has been as up-and-down as it can get. From a series of mergers, bankruptcies, and near extinction, B&N proved its phoenix-status, rising from the ashes to a bookworm’s beloved status. But it’s Nook e-reader? Eh, not so much. Though it seems like an obvious product to put to rest (Kindle is doing quite well for itself), the company is trying to revive its e-reader with the upcoming release of GlowLight 4 plus. Watch out, Amazon.
The Baseless Meaning Behind Buzzwords
Stimulates, supports, aids, optimizes. Chances are you’ve seen many of these boosted descriptors across the grocery store aisles. Though science-sounding buzzwords have been used for centuries, scienceploitation has crept into far more places with the rise of influencer marketing, Amazon dupes, and social media targeting. The FDC recommends doing a quick Google search of the product with the words “scam,” “complaint,” and “review” to get the real down low.
Shop For Your Inner Kidult Lately?
Know the phrase Kidult? It’s ok, we didn’t either before reading this. Anyone who’s over 12 years old is technically one, and there’s a whole age of toys coming back just for us. Toy companies are beginning to target us with nostalgic relaunches like the new-and-improved Furby and the 2024 drop of Littlest Pet Shop. Whether you’re shopping for yourself or your kid, newstalgia trends are here to stay — and play.
