In a media landscape filled with crossovers and collaborations, here’s the one we’ve all been waiting for - country music star Dolly Parton has teamed up with heavy metal band Mötley Crüe for a collaborative charity track. Unlikely as it might sound, 22% of country fans are also metalheads.
Scroll down to read about a record-breaking cozy game, cats on the diving board, and the rise of AI boyfriends.
Stats to power your week
💰The US senate has passed a new cryptocurrency bill that would regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins. While it doesn’t dominate the news cycle like it once did, the Bitcoin price is still near its all-time high. More Americans now own cryptocurrency (11%) than gold (9%). GWI USA
🧑🌾 Grow a Garden, a FarmVille-esque game in Roblox, has broken Fortnite’s record for the most concurrent players in a video game. It’s not just kids playing it either. Year-on-year, the share of millennial gamers playing Roblox has increased 16%. GWI Gaming
🔒 No pressure, but it might be a good idea to change your passwords. A breach of 16 billion passwords may have put your online security at risk. Only a quarter of consumers feel in control of their data online, while just a third say they frequently change their passwords. GWI Core/Zeitgeist
🧠 A new study from MIT suggests that dependence on AI tools is damaging our critical thinking skills. 16% of consumers already think that AI is superior to humans at critical thinking, while some students are already outsourcing their work to AI. GWI Zeitgeist
TikTok is introducing a live price-matching guarantee on its live shopping deals, allowing shoppers to scratch their impulse shopping itch without worrying about the price.
Viewstats, a company founded by MrBeast, introduced a premium AI-powered tool for creating YouTube thumbnails. He’s promised to make changes after facing significant backlash from content creators.
X will start offering in-app trading and investing tools, as it takes a step towards becoming the “everything app.”
The World Health Organization is planning new guidance on ultra-processed food consumption, to go alongside its current recommendations on macronutrients like fats and carbohydrates. And following pressure from RFK Jr., more US firms are removing artificial dyes from their products.
Skibidi toilet, Bombardino Crocodilo, Tralalero Tralala. Those weren’t typos. Are we reading too much into it, or is brainrot art?
Chart of the week
Right now, a quarter of men use ChatGPT, compared to 21% of women. Less than two years ago, men were nearly twice as likely to use the chatbot. So while men still lead for using it, women are closing the gap.
So, what’s changed and why is there a gap in the first place? As a whole, women are a bit more AI-skeptical than men (Kim K notwithstanding). Women are less likely than men to believe that AI is better than humans at data analysis, decision making, or problem solving. They’re also less interested in AI-generated art, and less interested in technology in general.
On the other hand, women are more interested in using AI for health and wellness support. Character.AI, a companion AI platform, sees a higher percentage of female users on average compared to others in the market, and online communities of women seeking romantic relationships with chatbots are forming. But then again, they’re not the only ones using AI for intimate relationships.
🔥 Hot take
Punchy perspectives, with data that nudges the narrative
“Promotions eat patriotism for breakfast”
Tariffs are unpopular, but surely all Americans can rally behind a “made in the US” label? It sure seems that way. When you ask Americans where they’d prefer to buy their tech, fashion, or cars from, over three-quarters say they want US-made.
But ask in a different context, and their real priorities come to the forefront. 27% look to buy products made in the US, but that’s dwarfed by the 46% who look for the best deals - regardless of where in the world they come from. What’s more, of the top 5 automotive brands owned in the country, 3 are Japanese.
The counterargument would be that tariffs are a long-term project designed to change such attitudes and behaviors. But take it from us in the consumer insights world - what someone puts in their shopping cart often tells you more than what they put in the ballot box.
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