Ever witnessed a conversation like this and been like wait, WTF just happened?! How did we go from talking about something that’s actually extremely important to something so extremely…not? If you’ve been there, congrats, you’re a human living in 2026. On one hand, it’s understandable to want to gloss over big scary problems that seem unfixable. But on the other hand, you’ve gotta wonder what would happen if we stopped letting ourselves be so enamored with the rectangles in our pockets and put a bit more attention into what’s actually important. [Read more]

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Sooo remember all those YAP dollars you've earned for reading this newsletter, clicking on links, and playing the daily games on our website? It's now YAP Rewards Week, which means it's time for you to spend them on real stuff! This time around, our sponsors include:

Head over to the YAP store and check it out!

_{p.s. YAP store is open 15 April - 21 April, or until all items are sold out. If you don’t have enough YAP dollars to spend this time, we’ll have another rewards week in 3 months, so keep opening YAP, clicking links, and playing the daily games to earn status points.}

Seems to be a common theme with AI. Stephen Punwasi, a data analyst from Toronto recalls asking Google what happened to Hulk Hogan upon discovering news about his death. Google’s AI overview very confidently told him, “there are no credible reports of Hulk Hogan being deceased.” Directly beneath the answer was an article from The Daily Mail that read “Mystery Deepens Over Hulk Hogan’s Death.”

Like, Google my bro, it’s RIGHT THERE for you to fetch.

According to NYT, a recent analysis of AI Overviews shows they’re accurate nine out of ten times. But when you consider that Google processes more than five trillion searches annually, that means it provides tens of MILLIONS of inaccuracies every hour. Don’t trust everything you see on the internet, I guess.

Which brings me to my next point. Idk if it’s just because I’m on gymstagram, but feed has been flooooooded with peptide talk as of late. It’s the steroid wave 2.0 and it’s just as dangerous if not more so. Influencers and fitness creators are accelerating the consumption of grey market peptides for various uses that have not at all been signed off by the FDA.

Joe Rogan has credited BPC-157 with healing a case of elbow tendonitis in two weeks. Beauty influencers who want deeper tans and enhanced libidos are taking Melanotan II, also known as the “Barbie peptide.” And even New York Magazine published a writer's account of self-injecting, called “Life on Peptides Feels Amazing,” which failed to cite any peer-reviewed research or academic scientists.

I blame RFK and the Make America Healthy Again movement. Oh wait, RFK himself recently backed peptides. In his endeavour to “end the war” on the FDA’s “aggressive suppression” of unproven treatments. Moving on.

Lastly, in LA, TikTok users are going viral for running through Scientology buildings to see how far they can get before being caught and thrown out. Which is actually kind of hilarious. Scientology has a reputation of being dark and secretive. So obviously curiosity and temptation are taking over for these youngins. The clips show creators literally bursting through the doors, sprinting down the hallways and sometimes even skating to take them further in. It’s been dubbed the “Scientology run” and so far, no one has managed to get very far. 

-Sophie Randell, Writer

The concept is simple: generate public approval by diversion, distraction, or by satisfying the most immediate requirements of a populace by offering a palliative. The palliative being food (bread) or circuses (entertainment.)

And we have bread and circuses. We have all the bread and circuses we need.

While the original Roman concept was based on these basic needs to prevent civil unrest, and while we’re no longer bloodied and drunk at the Colosseum, do not get it twisted, modern marketing contributes to the spectacle in many ways.

So, let’s go through them.

We’re way past state-distributed food being enough to shut us up. Instead, the “bread” here is our role in encouraging a focus on material goods and possessions as the path to contentment.

It’s hard to fully focus on systemic inequalities when you can’t stop thinking about that new pair of shoes you want, or the upgraded iPhone you “need” because your version is so last year (it’s literally only a year old.)

You may think I sound hypocritical, but I’m merely critiquing our craft. It would be insane to deny that advertising generates a constant cycle of desire for new products, serving as a "palliative" that satisfies immediate, fickle wants while distracting from broader societal or political issues.

Yeah, the world's on fire ☹ but omg! Did you see Gucci’s new collection under Denma?

Some analyses suggest marketing also stokes our anxiety about our own personal “bread” like jobs, taxes and the stock market to keep us focused on our own economic survival, and not collective civil duty.

This is the one that has us by balls. Modern entertainment is no longer a passive spectacle; marketing has turned it into an immersive, constant, never-f*cking-ending experience.

The platforms we’re all glued to use marketing-driven algorithms to keep us all "engaged" (read: engrossed) with short bursts of dopamine like viral clips and doomscroll algorithms, mirroring the addictive nature of Roman spectacles all that time ago.

Then we have high-budget sports, reality TV, and celebrity cage matches. All heavily marketed to maximise viewership and serve as big fat distractions we’d much rather talk about than anything genuinely important.

We have commodified culture itself, turning civic engagement into brand participation. Think about how large corporations associate themselves with major events (like the Olympics or World Cup) to gain "marketing power" and public approval, often prioritising these spectacles over fundamental municipal services.

In the digital age, users are marketed to and encouraged to market themselves. We’re essentially modern gladiators, performing for likes and public approval. Which just further prioritises, our individualism and attention seeking over community or civil care.

I am not here to change your mind about our industry, nor am I here to guilt trip you. This is merely food for thought. And by food, I mean we’re the ones baking and staging the fights. The question is: are we okay with being the distraction?

Anyway, enjoy the show, and the bread x

-Sophie Randell, Writer

It's a fairly universal experience, and right now TikTokers are using the Village People's disco classic "In the Navy" to illustrate it. Specifically, they're lip-syncing with lead singer Victor Willis' part in the second post-chorus (in brackets):

"They want you, they want you, they want you as a new recruit (who, me?)"

The song's being used to portray a multitude of cases - good, bad and in-between - where all eyes are firmly placed on you, like getting a job you never trained for, getting tea on the friend you already knew was evil, and getting tasked with breaking generational trauma.

Take this sound, put the camera on yourself and lip-sync with the "who, me?" line. Then, add onscreen text describing a time you were the centre of attention and overwhelmed with gratification (or anxiety).

If you can make it work, film a few seconds longer and incorporate Willis' distraught "oh my goodness" into your performance!

A few ideas to get you started:

-Devin Pike, Copywriter

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Lord Barkington!
✨Daily inspo: In Denzel we trust
🎧Soooo tingly: ASMR soap
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: CRISPY ENOKI MUSHROOMS!!

Hey Jessie!

First of all, I'd encourage you to spend some time on social media, paying attention to what stops your scroll. Analyse the hooks that grab you, then think about how you can use those as inspiration for your own content.

Second, think about how relatable your content is. I know you're targeting a specific audience. But if you want to grow your following, your content can't be too niche. So if you find your content isn't accessible to the average person, ask yourself how you can speak to a broader audience.

Lastly, you need to make more content. Posting more often will not only make you more visible on the platform. It will also give you more data, which will help you improve your content faster.

- 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.