As new sports get added to the Olympics roster, others are still finding their feet. With quadball being one of Britain's fastest-growing sports, some people have found an alternative to plastic brooms: wooden sticks. Look up hobby horsing if you’re interested.
P.S. Last week we mistakenly referred to Travis Kelce as a quarterback instead of a tight end. We were too busy fangirling over his surprise guest appearance at the Eras Tour and hope there's no Bad Blood over this.
Scroll down to read about escape rooms, lab-grown skin, and breakdancing.
Stats to power your week
🎲 Wordle hit the world by storm a couple of years ago. Since then, The New York Times has kept the puzzle craze alive (we’re big fans of Strands, by the way). The reasons why are pretty solvable: 45% of NYT readers are interested in puzzle/platform games. GWI Core
🤖 Not everyone’s down for a nip or tuck, but researchers are tackling future demand head on. By demand, we mean the 15% of US 16-34s who say they’d consider having cosmetic surgery. A robot face has been created from lab-grown, self-healing human skin. Yes, you read that right. Among other things, the hope is that this breakthrough will help train plastic surgeons. GWI USA
🎸 Sunday marked the end of Glastonbury Festival. For anyone who doesn’t understand the appeal, we’ve got you. Last year, we asked UK music festival fans what the selling points are, and it’s not just about seeing bands they listen to. 40% go to discover new artists, 28% to try new food/drink, and 23% to meet new people. We can’t get behind the 17% who like camping, though. GWI Custom
🏳️🌈 Glasto isn’t the only event in the headlines: Pride has garnered a lot of attention too, with hordes of Gen Z in attendance. Perhaps surprisingly, our data shows that interest in social/eco issues is actually lower among US Gen Z than baby boomers. But if there’s one thing we can’t deny, it’s Gen Z’s belief in the power of protests: they’re 46% more likely to believe they make a difference than average. GWI USA Plus
💄 We knew ads were coming to gaming, but ecommerce is a whole different beast. Users can now buy e.l.f. Cosmetics products through Roblox, and this isn’t a bad game plan. 1 in 5 female Roblox players say they’ve bought makeup or cosmetics online in the last month. GWI Core
Get ready for a savings tsunami. Days after announcing the date of its annual Prime Day sales event, Amazon is preparing to take on Temu and Shein by launching its own discount clothing and home storefront.
The Olympics are nearly here with several new event additions, and we don’t just mean breakdancing and kayak cross. Media company Fandango is letting folks view coverage at IMAX locations; and creators will now be covering the games.
Speaking of creators, the White House is due to host its first creator conference, where influencers and industry professionals will come together to discuss important social issues. As they play a bigger role in society, Instagram’s getting ready to roll out AI chatbot versions of creators.
The generative AI battle is well underway. With the release of Google’s latest version of Gemini, people are shouting about its potential – like building escape rooms and transforming research papers into interactive learning dashboards.
But with GPT-4 and Gemini in the spotlight, we’ve heard less about Anthropic’s latest generative AI upgrade. Not only can Claude 3.5 analyze both text and images, a new feature called Artifacts lets multiple users edit generated content in real time.
And finally, here’s the latest on AI and copyright: authors are joining a startup to license their work to AI companies, while YouTube is taking a “permission-first” approach by asking major labels to allow their artists' songs to train music tools.
Chart of the week
People often get their news on social media, but verify it elsewhere, which isn't a bad thing.
Brands and publishers should meet people where they are, offering short clips, memes, and whatever else they like consuming on social. But they should also encourage fact-checking where they can, as it’s likely to lead to higher audience engagement and responsible readers who offer credibility by association. The importance of fact-checking is even highlighted by the recent inaugural Best Research award given by the International Fact-Checking Network (yes, it’s a thing).
We’re only halfway through this mega-year of politics, so the need for critical thinking is sky-high.
Local lowdown
A two-wheel triumph
Here’s something you might not know about Morocco. Globally, its consumers are the most likely to own a moped. But why?
Simply, mopeds are a good fit for Morocco's terrain. From the winding medinas of Marrakech to the rural pathways of the Atlas Mountains, these two-wheeled vehicles are a nimble mode of transport. In urban areas, they navigate traffic with ease, while in the countryside, they handle rugged roads better than most cars.
And with a significant part of the population being under 30, there’s a natural lean toward budget-friendly and flexible options. It just goes to show that sometimes the smallest vehicles can have the biggest impact on a country’s mobility and culture.
