Camera pans to a perfectly curated closet full of designer clothes before it comes back to the mirror. Her skin and lashes are flawless, but yes, we’re supposed to believe she just “woke up like this.” Time for a 41-step morning routine (every product costs $350 btw). Not-so-sadly, the performative influencer’s shelf life is just about up. Because in a time where trust is the most important currency, being fake-perfect comes across as pretty freaking tone deaf (and that’s a warning for brands, too).

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

(btw - If you’re already using Claude Code or Cowork daily, scroll on by bc this isn’t for you)

But if you’ve just dabbled in using AI, maybe you’re using ChatGPT to help you look up recipes, write basic emails, or attempt to diagnose that insect bite you just got, stay with me for a sec.

When it comes to AI, there’s a lot of “bro you’re so behind” messaging out there. When, in reality, within just a couple hours, you can learn how to use AI better than 95% of people you know. And this why we put together the Beginner’s Guide to Claude AI course.

It’s a 4-week cohort where you learn how to go from using AI as a glorified Google to getting it to actually help you with the sh*tty admin (life or work) you hate doing every day.

We kick off on 18 May, so if you want to go from feeling behind to using AI to make your life better, this is for you 👇

Ok yeah. It’s a huge cultural moment. But like, at some point we have to acknowledge the absolute insanity of worshipping celebrities blowing smoke up each other’s asses wearing outfits they didn’t put together and rolling around in their wealth and status?

Excuse me while I channel Jaden Smith but… with the political and economic state of the world right now… don’t we think it’s a little… out of touch? Particularly seeing as this year’s sponsor and honorary chair was none other than Jeff Bezos. And I’m not the only one who thinks this is crazy. A lot of the internet agrees that indulging in such ostentatious opulence while the world burns is veryyyyy Hunger Games vibes. Here! Have some circus with your bread.

Anyway, a protest group named Everyone Hates Elon threw bottles of (fake) pee into the Metro Museum in reference to allegations that Amazon workers have been forced to pee in bottles to keep on schedule amidst gruelling working conditions.

Moving on, Reddit has seen a 30% year-on-year jump in the number of people using search every week! CEO Steve Juffman announced the stat on Thursday, adding that search has been one of the major drivers of search acquisition and retention for the site. Initially, the platform was booed by users with complaints that the search function essentially sucked eggs. Reddit has spent the last few years invested in fixing it. An investment that appears to have paid off.

Huffman said that around 40% of conversations on Reddit are commercial in nature. And 84% shoppers feel more confident in their buying decisions after researching on Reddit. Reddit ended the quarter with more than 493 million weekly active users, a 23% jump from last year. It makes me happy to see the platform finally getting its flowers.

Ok lastly, I know I just complained about bread and circuses. But if my circus came with this PR package, I might shut up a little more often, because DAMN it’s cute. To launch Fleur de Lait, Miu Miu’s new fragrance (inspired by mango pomelo sago) the brand sent out branded cooler bags featuring kinetic sand styled to look like ice cream, plus a branded scooper. Once scooped, the box revealed a bottle of the perfume. Once again, Miu Miu shows us how it continues to win the battle of the brands. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

You know exactly the one I mean. The sunlight hits a perfectly rumpled linen duvet at just the right angle. A creator wakes up (already wearing light concealer). They stretch in $400 silk pyjamas, whisk a clump-free matcha, and head into a day that looks less like a life and more like a high-budget commercial for tranquillity or some sh*t.

This is performative influencing.

It’s the art of documenting a life that only exists when the lens is cap-off. But while these hyper-curated vignettes currently rack up millions of likes, the pendulum is beginning its inevitable swing. We are approaching peak aesthetic.

The currency of the creator economy isn't likes; it’s trust. When a creator spends years building a brand on manufactured perfection, they aren't building a community but more of a gallery.

The moment the audience catches a glimpse of the mess behind the curtain that doesn’t feel instantly aspirational—the dirty dishes just out of frame or the realisation that the organic moment was filmed eighteen times—the trust moat evaporates.

In a world where AI can generate perfect imagery in seconds, human creators cannot compete on perfection. They can only compete on truth. If your brand is built on being perfection, you may end up finding it impossible to rebrand as trustworthy once the audience grows tired of the charade.

It starts with the invisible camera test: “If I wasn’t filming this, would I still be doing it?” If you are buying a specific toaster or visiting a specific cafe solely because it fits the grid, you are performing. And listen, I’ll get the cutesy coasters for my table because they look good on the gram when I take a flat lay of my coffee table??? Sue me. We all do this. To an extent. Longevity as a creator, however, is found in documenting a life already being lived.

The next step is embracing an almost radical mundanity. The audience is developing a high-speed "BS detector" for the over-produced. They are increasingly craving the un-slick. The messy desk, the repetitive meal-prepped lunch, the genuine frustration of a Tuesday afternoon. These small points of friction act as proof of life. They signal to the viewer that there is a real human on the other side of the screen, not a lifestyle bot.

Its primary goal is to spark envy, comparison, aspiration. Sustainable content, however, is built on service. Whether it’s teaching a skill, providing a genuine laugh, or offering a unique perspective, the focus shifts from the creator’s ego to the audience’s value.

When the goal is to be helpful rather than enviable, the pressure to perform disappears.

If you spend your career selling a fantasy, you will eventually find yourself bankrupt when the audience demands reality. The creators who survive the next era will be the ones who dared to be boring, honest, and human – not the ones in custom activewear with a house full of products they don’t even use.

In laymen’s terms, stop trying to be a mood board. Start being a person.

That’s where true value lives anyway. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

Take one of the newest episodes of Euphoria, for example. At Cassie and Nate's wedding, Heather and Fred confront the newlyweds about their investment in Nate's business that, courtesy of an overheard conversation about his debts, now looks incredibly shady. Heather directs some of her ire towards Cassie, who responds in blissful ignorance of her husband's scummy dealings:

"We invested our kids' college funds!" which is followed by, "And what does that have to do with me?"

As with most things Euphoria, the audio of their argument has found its way to TikTok. It now lives as a trend representing times where people were confronted about others' problems and genuinely couldn't care less. Like when a customer makes their lateness your problem or when your cat benefits from stupidly expensive vet visits.

Take this sound, put the camera on yourself and lip-sync with Cassie's line. Then, add onscreen text describing a time someone made a big deal of something that either wasn't your fault or wasn't worth your energy. Alternatively, you can lip-sync with Heather's line if you're the one with a problem, but the person you're sharing it with doesn't give a damn.

A few ideas to get you started:

-Devin Pike, Copywriter

😲WTF: What is wrong with people...
✨Daily inspo: Let your failure teach you
😊Soooo satisfying: I NEED this fresh start energy
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Sticky Pork Stir Fry! 

Hey Jackson!

There's no magic formula to staying consistent! At some point, you just have to carve out time and get it done. But one thing you can do to make that a bit easier is to come up with an easily repeatable content style. At TAS, we call this ERC. This is a content style that is easy to produce, and, ideally, one you can create in bulk. It should also be something you can do over and over, only changing one factor for each video.

This should fit your niche, but could be something like street interviews, simple games, reaction videos, or answering FAQs about your industry. When you've got this content style, you'll no longer need to reinvent the wheel every time you need to create content. You're essentially taking 90% of the thinking out of it, which makes it much more likely you're going to post more regularly. Then, remember that done is better than perfect. You will learn as you go, and that's ok.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

We get it. Creating content that does numbers is harder than it looks. But doing those big numbers is the fastest way to grow your brand. So if you’re tired of throwing sh*t at the wall and seeing what sticks, you’re in luck. Because making our clients go viral is kinda what we do every single day.