Honestly, it's hard to tell these days. TikTok used to be the place you'd go to see silly trending dances, meal prep inspo, or BookTok recs. Now, the platform's rife with creators beefing with each other about something that happened in a group chat six months ago. Receipts are shown. Responses are posted. And suddenly you've spent three hours uncovering the backstory of a feud between two people you've never heard of. We all know the algo loves drama. But when it’s everyone’s content strategy, it starts feeling extremely… lazy.

- Charlotte Ellis, Editor ♡

Anthropic has published a new, expanded “constitution” for its Claude AI model. And it's reshaping how the chatbot is trained to behave and reason. Instead of a simple list of do’s and don’ts, the updated document explains why Claude should follow ethical principles. It also teaches it to generalise good judgment across new situations. It includes strict safety constraints, like never assisting with bioweapons (uh, thank god). Intriguingly, it also openly acknowledges uncertainty about whether Claude might have “some kind of consciousness or moral status.”

That alone distinguishes Anthropic from rivals. It's a rare instance of an AI lab treating questions of machine nature as more than just PR fodder. End times may be sooner than we think 😊

AI is inching into the legal world, not by replacing judges, but by assisting them in arbitration (lord, here we go.) Enter the American Arbitration Association’s new AI Arbitrator (say that ten times fast). The tool uses language models to summarise facts, organise case timelines and draft decisions in document-based disputes. This helps to cut time and cost for small business cases.

Critics, including legal experts, and anyone who has half a brain, warn that hallucinations, transparency issues, and embedded biases remain serious concerns. They stress that AI should supplement, not supplant, human judgment. So, sure, the technology may ease workloads and improve access to justice in some corners. But experts emphasise that ethical oversight and human control remain vital. Obvs.

Mediaite, the media industry news site, has launched a newsletter. And it basically just summarises other media newsletters, reflecting how pervasive and crowded the inbox has really become (sorry not sorry). The feature showcases everything from cable news shakeups to industry shakeouts. And it offers readers a one-stop snapshot of what dozens of newsletter teams are reporting.

The site is part of the wider trend of major outlets like The New York Times and others, which are investing heavily in newsletters. As we know, they're essential audience touchpoints and growth engines. Attention is fragmented and long-form reading habits are in flux. But newsletters are emerging as both a revenue driver and a curator of cultural noise.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

I only started using it recently because I'm attempting to venture into content creation (keyword: attempting). But being new to the app means that I have a fresh perspective, and I’ve noticed something so strange.

Every single time I open my For You Page, it's drama.

Not occasionally. Not here and there. No, every single time. Some creator is in the middle of a scandal, beefing with another creator, posting a 12-part series about why they're the victim, or making a "response video" to someone I've never heard of about a situation I don't understand.

Probably because I'm employed and don't have time to keep up with the intricate lore of why @beautyguru2847 is no longer speaking to @makeupqueen_official. It’s giving Bye Sister in 2019. But like, irrelevant (sorry.)

For people who've been on the platform since the start, this probably feels normal. It's the frog in boiling water situation. The drama has ramped up so gradually that long-time users don't even notice how toxic it's become. Meanwhile, I'm over here like, "Is everyone on this app in a constant state of crisis?" Blegh. Exhausting.

It didn't take long to figure out why this is happening. Drama gets views. Lots of them. The algorithm has trained creators that conflict is the most reliable path to virality, so everyone's always in some "situation."

A minor disagreement that could've been resolved in a single DM becomes a multi-day saga with plot twists, villain arcs, and redemption tours. Why? Because the engagement is insane. People can't look away. I can't look away, even though I have no idea who these people are or what they're fighting about.

It's not an accident. It's strategy.

Okay but it gets worse. Because there's an entire ecosystem of drama commentary channels whose whole existence is recapping other people's beef.

These accounts present themselves as journalists or documentarians, objectively covering the latest TikTok scandal. But really, they're glorified professional shit-stirrers. Because you know they’re not just reporting on drama, but actually creating the market for it.

It's a symbiotic relationship. Creator has drama → commentary channels make 15 videos dissecting it → original creator gets more views → they escalate → commentary channels have more content → the cycle continues.

The original issue, whatever it was, gets completely lost. It's just content now. And everyone involved is incentivised to keep it going because they're all getting views.

Genuine creativity, helpful information, or even just entertaining videos get buried under an avalanche of "X RESPONDS TO Y" and "THE TRUTH ABOUT Z."

And as someone new to TikTok, it's honestly exhausting. I came here to figure out content creation, maybe learn some things, see what's trending. Instead, I'm drowning in parasocial warfare between strangers.

The viewers can't stop watching it. And the creators keep doing it because, well, bills need to be paid and drama pays.

Maybe if you've been on TikTok for years, this all feels normal. But from where I'm standing, fresh off the boat and looking around? Everyone is always in a scandal.

And I'm not sure that's a good thing.

-Sophie Randell, Writer

The audio comes from a Key & Peele skit called The Saddest Sibling Rivalry of All Time. In the scene, everything is already tense and miserable, and then Keegan-Michael Key calmly snaps with: “Shut up, Mom. Silence from you. You’re cut off from talking.”

People are using the sound to caption moments where someone says one more thing and it’s officially too much. Creators pair the audio with situations where they’re irrationally fed up and absolutely do not want to hear it anymore. Usually framed as a POV, childhood memory, or a moment where patience instantly evaporates.

Think:

Use the audio and overlay text explaining what pushed you over the edge. The joke works best when the situation is small but the reaction is nuclear.

A few ideas to get you started:

-abdel khalil, marketing & brand exec

😂Yap’s funniest home videos: Top Fail: Maverick
❤How wholesome: besties 4 life
😊Soooo satisfying: Cutting open a tape ball
🍝What you should make for dinner tonight: Easy Sauteed Mixed Veges

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.