9.16.22 Tabs
How much is Gen Z making? Why do progressive people love watching dumper fire shows like The Bachelor? How can we ask for feedback and affirmation at work? This week is juicy!
First things first, I’m realizing I’m getting really into data storytelling and trying to push myself to read and appreciate analytics more (been doing this on TikTok too), so— if you’re curious about this newsletter, we have seen a 20% increase in subscribers since last week (went from 240 to 289!) and also have an open rate (the percentage of users who get the email and actually open it) of 71%! So I was like…is that good or low?
So anyway— absolutely T H R I L L I N G! If you get any value out of the links I share with you, please send this newsletter off to friends and/or leave a comment on a post! I’m really loving collecting things I find for this newsletter, so I hope you’re into it too.
This week’s tabs:
📰 Gen Z’s median annual salary (meaning half of Gen Z earns more and half earns less) is……… $32,500. What do you think? Surprising or not? Also— look at the top 10 states for Gen Z salaries:
Gets me thinking about this chart and how only 50% of millenials make more than their parents these days. I wonder what direction Gen Z is headed in.
📰 What’s one thing that much of the world shares, that we might not really think about? CORNER STORES. Corner stores are central to neighborhoods around the world, and are also significantly under-valued by our larger economic institutions. When I was living in Morocco, I learned so much about the importance of hanouts: (pic below, taken from google images) not only do they provide groceries and necessities to people, they are also the neighborhood security, REALTORS/BROKERS (truly— I was told to go and ask the hanout owner if there were apartments for rent because he would know the best), direction-givers, babysitters, neighborhood memory-keepers etc.
So where is the opportunity here? According to that article:
94% of customers plan to use their corner shop the same amount or more in the future, despite global macroeconomic conditions. Additionally, 71% of those surveyed purchased a larger portion of their groceries from corner stores during COVID-19 lockdowns, showing the businesses are particularly resilient during downturn…fintech can accelerate financial inclusion by serving “micro-merchants” who lack sufficient access to traditional banking services.”
I found this article SO interesting. Would love to hear about your experiences with bodegas or corner stores, in the US or elsewhere in the world.🎧 Does “believe women” also mean that when one of Nick Canon’s baby mamas said she is really happy in and grateful for the relationship she has with Nick Canon, that we believe her, even as it *looks* like Nick is playing them?! A super interesting podcast episode with Abby De La Rosa, one of the women who is with Nick Canon (currently pregnant with another one of his kids too!) that pushed me to really interrogate my own biases.
👩💻 Why do progressive people love watching the bachelor? This TikTok creator has written a masters thesis on this exact topic (I’ve already commented and asked them to make this a series where they go section by section of their thesis LOL)- but check out the TikTok! This is a really interesting topic to me, because I have a history of watching the Bachelor franchises (not this season though because it really is getting boring) and also of following all of the progressive bachelor discourse (date card pod, The Blckcherettes etc.). I LOVE IT. I love being a part of the critical discourse, even as I know that me simply watching it is feeding this racist, homophobic, fatphobic, ableist narrative….It’s so complicated!!
👩💻 Why do we get so much “you’re doing so well!” when we’re younger, but not when we’re older, at work, and feel insecure?! How we can seek out/fill that positive feedback loop for ourselves at work:
The hardest part of this change was actually acknowledging that I needed a reward — even something as trivial as a few words of affirmation from my peers. It’s not something I want to want. I’d like to think of myself as intrinsically motivated and unaffected by what people think of me. But that’s just not accurate. Why be dishonest with myself about it?
🎧 Ok this isn’t something I *found* on the internet per se, but a few people have asked for some curated playlists of music, recipes etc. from my own life— SO I will definitely work on gathering those, but wanted to start with what I know best:
Here is my playlist of all the podcast episodes I listened to this week:I thought it could be so cool to share this! I made the playlist on Spotify (although that’s not the platform I personally listen on) but please lmk if that’s not a good format. Also lmk if you listen to any/all and have thoughts!
Hey!
I wanted to comment on #4- I watched the bachelor/paradise for a few years but really stopped because I didn’t like what the show was perpetrating. This also goes for the Kardashians, I unfollowed all those types of celebrities around the same time.
I think I try to follow the philosophy that “money is power” (and time). This also goes for not eating at Chick-fil-a or shopping at Hobby Lobby. I try to be aware of what I’m supporting, of course I’ll still watch problematic tv here and there esp with my sister or a friend.
I really enjoy reading your lists!!
Thanks for doing this work!! A few things came to mind, the Gen-Z salary reality vs ideas of what the internet say Gen-Z’s consider a good/healthy salary ( ridiculously high, one study says 171,000 ). I also was an avid Game of Roses listener in 2020/21 and there’s definitely a line crossed on the show that took it from ironic obsession to unwatchable. Anyway, love reading these!