Everything Is Content - A Coldplay Gig Scandal, Gen Z Stares & Anti-Weddings

Episode Date: July 25, 2025

Oi Oi! It's a brand new episode of EIC.This week, we weighed in on the fiery-hot online response to the tech CEO and colleague caught canoodling at Coldplay. We also took an unflinching look into the discourse of Gen Z are their allegedly blank-expressions. Annnnd, Charli didn't throw this wedding party 4 u – she clearly did it for herself. We get into the real Royal Wedding and the trends being set in its wake.Please give us a follow on IG/TikTok @everythingiscontentpod and we'd love a review wherever you're listening to this pleeease <3In collaboration with Cue podcasts -----This week, Beth Loved Cole Escola on Good Hang With Amy PoehlerRuchira loved OvercompensatingOenone loved Untamed, Girls, The Ballad of Wallis Island & The OutrunThe Real Reason Everyone's So Mad At The Gen Z Stare - VoxThe Gen Z stare isn’t rude. We’re just not going to conform for your comfortThe ‘Gen Z stare’? Young people need to get over this limp act of defiance Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Say hello savings and goodbye worries with Freedom Mobile. Get 60 gigs to use in Canada, the US and Mexico for just 39 bucks a month. Plus get a one-time use of 5 gigs of Roam Beyond data. Conditions apply. Details at freedommobile.ca. From TV to TV. Oh! Sorry! Oh! Identity fraud in progress!

Ha ha ha! I'm Beth. I'm Rachira. And I'm Anoni. And this is Everything is Content. We're your guides into the week's biggest talking points across pop culture. From TV to TikTok, we've got you covered. We're like the Coldplay song you secretly sing in the shower every morning.

And yes, we know it's yellow. So is that a weeing in the shower joke? Oh no, but I guess it operates on triple planes now. This week on the podcast, we're talking about what happens when an affair goes viral, the anti-wedding of all weddings, and are Gen Z obsessed with staring? Follow us on Instagram at everythingiscontentpod and make sure you hit follow on your podcast player so you never miss an episode. So, to both of you, what have you been loving this week?

Quite unusually, I have got, it's a podcast but it's a podcast episode specifically and it is Good Hang with Amy Poehler and in particular the episode with Cole La Scola which came out I think last week or when this comes out maybe a week and a half. It's fantastic. Richa, have you listened to this episode slash do you just love Cole La Scola? I listened to this episode yesterday and I was laughing so much. It's so funny, isn't it? I think, so I've mentioned and we've talked about Carla Scola before, but if you haven't heard of them, excellent comedy performer, wrote and created and starred in an original

comedic Broadway play called Omeri, which is about Mary Todd Lincoln, Abraham Lincoln's wife and I've obviously not seen it, but I think it has to do with him being gay or something. Anyway, I don't know, but it's kind of set up in the lead up to his assassination. And like it's won Tonys and nominated for loads of other awards as well. And Cole is someone that I've just loved as like online persona for such a long time. And yet so funny, just so quick and relentlessly funny, but also like, I think the interview, they are just being like funny, funny, funny, taking Amy Poehlessly funny, but also like, I think the interview, they are just being like funny, funny, funny, taking Amy Poehler out, but also I think it's very interesting to listen to

someone talk about creativity and someone who's very like creative and funny through and through. I find it fantastic. Like they're so switched on. And it was my way into this podcast. I've been meaning to listen for absolutely ages. And then I saw a clip of Amy and Cole talking. And basically, Amy asked them what their favorite restaurant is. It's like a little pull clip for Instagram. Amy asked what their favorite restaurant is. And without missing a beat, they start talking about this gorgeous restaurant, Uncle Gino's. And Amy's like, that's not real, is it? And they go, no, it's not. And then continue to talk about this restaurant that they love, that isn't real. And I was like, I, okay, I'm in. It's just like so smoothly funny. And yeah, I love listening to creative people be creative,

especially if they're so evasive and won't give a straight answer. I thought it was so good. Because I think Cole, like, against, it's a kind of against all odds, like really did it themselves, did not have the training, did not have the background, did not have the connections, but had the talent and oh, I mean, I'm so glad that I started listening because now I think I will listen to this because even if a podcast or something feels like it was made in a lab specifically for me, I'll be like, excellent. I'll get to it in a year and a half and I did not want to miss this. So that's my recommendation. It is so funny. I'm so with you on that. There's just one bit that makes me laugh so much. That's

a bit they keep doing, which is, you know how actors, when they're being interviewed, they can say such pretentious things and I don't think they have any cognizance about it. So every time Amy's trying to ask Cole how they feel about their job, Cole's just like, I just feel so lucky. It's like play, like how lucky in my life I get to play like this. I play for work. And it just was making me tear up with laughter because it was just perfect, absolutely perfect, amazing recommendation. Well, do you want to follow it with yours, Ruchira? What have you got for us? Well, in the vein of commending you, I think you actually recommended this first.

I have finally started watching Overcompensating and it was such a creep for me in terms of, at the beginning, I just watched the first episode. I was a bit mad about it. Then got Amazon Prime 30-day free trial, thought, why not? I'll just see what everyone's talking about. And then now I'm nearly three quarters of the way through and I'm obsessed. I think it's so funny. I think it's a grower. The emotional narratives that kind of play out only get better and it's only kind of grown into a better show. I think it's so good. Not to dunk on too much, which seems to be my favorite thing to do at the minute, but when you look at a show like Overcompensating and compare it with too much, I think it's

like chalk and cheese. Like the things that Overcompensating does, like you said, the emotional story, the elevation, the kind of the crucial humanness to it. And actually the way that I think so many people will respond to, feel seen, feel uplifted. It's also so nostalgic. I know they're not like necessarily comparable, but I was just, I actually weirdly was thinking about those two shows in my head

and wondering what it was about, like too much. It wasn't right. And I think it's cause crucially, there wasn't anything really to take away. It just felt like Lena Dunham was telling us a story that she really wanted to tell was with overcompensating it is obviously I'm sure there's like some sort of anecdotal storytelling within it as well but it feels like it's really for the audience and that people will get gain so much from it I love I could watch that over again I loved it so much.

I do wonder whether that is I mean if you're Lena Dunham and you go to Netflix and you're like I haven't done TV like this in 10 years you you're going to let me do something. They're going to let you do something. Whereas I do feel probably Benito Skinner. We had to take a very like, this story is so solid. I hit the beats. This is going to resonate with this demographic, this demographic. I do think as much as I love both shows, I do think probably what was required to get overcompensating made was a bar. I don't want to say quite a bit higher because it's sort of being like these women can, you know, it's not, that's not how it works. But I think probably there was an element of like,

okay, Lena Dunham is the jerk, is blank. Whereas, and I do think for that reason, it's so like overcompensating is so satisfying, like really narratively hits those beats. It's so exciting, just even kind of the connecting thread of them all being just like the new generation of people coming up. So Benito Skinner making the move from TikTok and being hugely funny online to landing something like that. And then Cola Scholar receiving a Tony

and Meg Stolter as well obviously being prolific online and then coming up and just being a star in her own right. I'm loving seeing that come through that feels really exciting to me at the minute. Yeah you're so right that is really true and that's such a cool we don't have as much of that like cohort I suppose we do have with like Mania Chihuahua and obviously we need to talk about this when this happens but you know that the British SNL is coming and lots of my comedian friends all submitted scripts and stuff to be put through to be, so there's going to be a young cast of I guess this British cohort, but at the minute you're really seeing all of these American

digitally native stars coming onto like the screen and they're all amazing. I think they're all so talented. So you're right, that is really exciting to watch. Oh my God, and only I could see you on, I hope you don't find your way there, but I could see you on British SNL, UK SNL. I could see you as cast member, like Chloe, I can't remember her name, but. Apparently they had like 7,000 applicants, which I can't even, I didn't even know there were that many sketch writers slash comedians in the UK. It's pretty exciting. But I didn't submit, I can't really write sketches.

What have you been loving and only apart from not submitting your SNL application? I've been loving, well, firstly, just a quick note, I have been re-watching Girls since we did our Girls episode and god damn, it's good that we can just leave that one there. The second thing I did was I went and watched the Ballad of Wallace Island for a second time. I howled, I laughed, I cried, I DM'd Tim Key last night and then he saw it. Same up. Pause on that. I messaged him and said, because he actually followed me,

should I tell you guys this? He followed me a few weeks ago. Yeah, gorgeous, love that, good man of taste. Then I was like really panicked about posting anything in case he unfollowed me. Because this happened, David Nichols once followed me on Twitter and then that's basically when I never tweeted again. So I was like, if he realizes he's following me, he might unfollow me. So then I was like, I was so emotional about that film. I don't know what it does to me, but God, it hits me in every piece. I think it's, I actually really relate to Tom Basman's character, who's like deeply in love with this woman that he'll never be with. I think I have that propensity to like really believe that a love

is forever and that I'll never achieve it again. Anyway, so I DMed him and I was like, I just wanted to let you know, why, why did I say that? Just wanted to let you know that I went and watched The Valor of Wallace Island for the second time this evening. And then I was like, oh my God, does it sound like I've watched it twice in one day? And then I said, and then I said, it's genuinely one of my favorite films, the most hilarious, poignant, moving pieces of art. And then a smiley face with hearts around it. And he just read it and didn't remember it. Anyway, whatever. Love him so much. He's probably sent that to the group chat and is like, what do I say? She sent such

a nice message. Mrs. Tim Keyway. I think he must have appreciated that because I think I really would. I know he's getting praise left, right, centre, up the wazoo, but I think he would. I think you singularly understand this film, Anoni. I do. It really speaks to me. I listened to the whole soundtrack on the way home. Then I walked back from a far-ish overground station to mine quite late at night as the sun was setting, listening to the soundtrack, walking astride, pretending I was in an indie film. Oh, I dream. The next thing I did, because funnily enough, then a few days prior, I had thought I want to watch the Ballad of Wallace Island again. So I put into Netflix, I Googled films like the Ballad of Wallace Island and the Outrun

came up, which is not at all like the Ballad of Wallace Island, but it is set on a very remote island starring Saoirse Ronan as this young woman who struggles with a very deep alcoholism when she's living in London and her father struggles with this mental health, her parents are separated. It's all about her coming back to the Orkney Islands and trying to piece together her life without alcohol and dealing with her sobriety. That was so beautiful. I don't know why I hadn't watched it yet. Have either of you guys seen that? I've actually, I've not watched this. I have started reading the book, which I think it was like Christmas time and everyone was sitting down to watch it and they were like, this

film is meant to be great. And I was sort of like, well, now I'm not watching it. I was in a real bratty mood, but I have started reading the book, which is excellent. The film is meant to be just honestly stunning. So I kind of not in the mood though, kind of not in the mood to feel sad or moved. I sort of just want to watch mid, I think I just want to watch mid stuff for a while. And maybe that, I think that's the tail end of too much for me. I was really moved by that and I feel like I've been moved beyond compare. So I'm putting that on the list. I actually am, but I will not probably get to it until this coming Christmas. On my list as well. I will absolutely watch and read that. I think they look amazing. Saoirse Ronan is so good. And then I'm so sorry, I have been watching, I don't know when I've had time for this. I've also finished a whole series on Netflix called Untamed,

which stars Eric Boehner, who's so fit and I want him to be my husband and Sam Neill. Now I must say it's not good but it's very watchable and it's set around El Capitan and this mountain range and Eric Baynor plays this like park ranger. It's kind of a detective show and it's really easy watching but it's also just so beautiful the setting pretty badly written there's enough twists and turns, but if you're, I'd say, very mildly hung over with no plans, it's a great one to pop on because you don't really have to concentrate that much. So the last few days have felt a little unnerving on the internet. I'm sure everyone listening to this, if not 90% of people, have seen the now

super viral clip of a tech CEO and his co-worker getting caught having an affair at a Coldplay gig thanks to a kiss cam, crowd camera, whatever you want to call it. In a now heavily horrendously memed movement, the man essentially ducks from the camera view and the woman turns away. I have it stapled to my memory, the exact movements, because I've seen it so much now. There's now hordes of people copying this on TikTok too. And there's since been videos of sports fans copying it on different kiss camps over the weekend. And those videos have gone viral in response.

Just a disclaimer, we won't be mentioning their names on the podcast because I think it's really important to talk about the story and the surrounding aspects of it, but I don't think it's important to talk about the particular people and to contribute to the doxing side of this event as well. So before we get into the wild internet ripple, what were your thoughts when you first saw the video? I think I saw it quite early in its infancy, obviously, heavily online.

And I knew, and I think a lot of us knew, like, oh, this is going to escalate and escalate. And then it did. I kind of went to sleep. I can't remember what it was. I sort of put down my phone and then I was like, we will know these people's names and address and Lerma Hold. All of that happened. Like here's the social media of the family. Here's everyone's names. Here's everyone's work address. It was like a runaway train. But I think I got to it when it was kind of whatever, like whenever that clip was released, I saw it quite soon after because I was at the Coldface on Twitter. And then I spoke to a friend who's like a Reels guy and I was like, oh, I'm a Twitter girl, so you will get this. And then I was like, have you seen

this Coldplay thing? And they were like, no. And I was like, it is coming for you on Instagram. Batten down the hatches. This is going to be a big one. Well, as you both know, I didn't know until Rachel said something, something Coldplay couple and I was like, what are you guys talking about? I don't know what I was doing that day. I must have been, sometimes I am slightly, I've been either like writing or painting and when I'm doing that, I actually don't really go online. So I, I then thought I had to read down on Twitter together because I thought it was going to be like a Twitter

specific thing. But then I Googled it and it was and I got it so late. By the time I got there, there was already like AI versions of it floating around. And it was so funny because then I went and saw like a group of girlfriends and everyone was doing these like conspiracy theories. I'm not really on TikTok. So I thought they were all saying them off their own back being like, if they'd just kissed, the video wouldn't have even gone live or like if they hadn't reacted and I was like, what are they talking about? Then I went on TikTok and saw that everyone was saying the same thing because the video that actually went viral is like just a fan recording the moment. And the only reason it went viral is obviously because of that reaction. So it is interesting how much it's brought together because even my friends that I would

see to be pretty offline, like I wouldn't really say the kind of meany things I'd say to you or like quote something they would just look at me sideways and be like oh she's lost it they were all over this so it definitely I I would my mum will know what's happening with this one so I do think it is one of the biggest things that's happened I'd say at least in the last five years I actually agree with you because on the Saturday I was astounded to see the Guardian had reported on it and they'd reported on least in the last five years. I actually agree with you because on the Saturday, I was astounded to see The Guardian had reported on it and they'd reported on it from the point of view of the CEO had been temporarily suspended. An update, by the way, as time of record, he has resigned from his position.

But that's when I thought, oh my God, this is not just some weird internet story. The way newspapers have jumped on the chance to keep abreast of this whole story. Oh, I hate that word abreast. I don't know why I said that. That to me was quite shocking. So that is an interesting point you said about your friends, breaking through to offline friends. It does feel like I don't understand why this story necessarily has to be reported on in this way, but we'll get onto it. One thing that I think is particularly interesting is seeing how companies have jumped onto this to meme it, to shill their shit essentially. So from Aldi to Lego to IKEA, all of these brands have essentially memed the couple, much like everyone else has, but I think the difference is they're obviously trying to sell us something back and get involved

in this internet story and meme themselves. So IKEA shared their viral panda with an orangutan plushie, hugging it from behind with the quote, don't get caught without these. Drama-free cuddles guaranteed. And then on the picture it said HR approved. And also this one made me feel absolutely sick. Elon Musk's Tesla posted on X, which he obviously owns as well. Quote, posting a pic of you enjoying your loaner Tesla while your own one is in service is the equivalent of taking it to a Coldplay concert. Your car will know. I just, it's not even funny. Like he's not even like, no, nothing he's connected with can ever be funny.

It makes me feel icky. Do you guys feel icky seeing the brands get involved in this? Or are you fine with it? No, I hate it. I hate it when it's about like, I think they did it with Haley Bieber and that whole thing. I thought that was icky.

I think this is, it's involving like real, you know, like citizens of the world. And I just think it's like, even if this is memeable and even if it is like quite shocking and admittedly there is some humor in it to be seen and to be found. Fuck off brands, I think. I'm just like, I don't want to see the Dua Liga well get involved in anything in my lifetime. It's like a weird, I don't know if I'm like a prude, I just find it really odd. I don't like them joining in. It's too much. I read such a good piece in Dazed by Jenny Jane that says, why are we all so weird about cheating? It may be bad,

but it's not a crime. And it's just a great piece that you need to read. And she talks about all the other incidents we've seen recently like Sabrina Carpenter and stuff. And then she also quotes from, I think it was another piece in Dazed last year by James Grieg where he wrote, whenever this kind of thing goes viral, no one actually cares about the injured party. The thrill of self-righteousness is far more important. If you really have to film people in public without their consent, please don't pretend that it has anything to do with justice at all. And I think this is the rub that really gets to me is I understand that

cheating is bad, but I kind of hate it when people are willing to like stand above the parapet and shout about how amazing they are in comparison to these people because cheating is so commonplace. I'm not saying it's okay, but it's really not as virtuously evil as we like to pretend. Virtuously evil doesn't make any sense. I think that this is the problem I get why it's funny, but it also like you said Beth, it's just it's not that funny and there are real people. And one of the memes that did make me laugh, but also I think it's part of the problem is there was a meme, I'm sure you guys saw it was like every summer we sacrifice a CEO and then it was like the

submersible, the healthcare CEO that was murdered. I can't remember the other one. And then this CEO and it's like, I think we've got a bit too comfortable, even though, you know, sometimes we do lean on that side of things in terms of, you know, punching up and who deserves what. I think we have got a bit too comfortable with this idea that if you're very rich, you are morally bankrupt and have no soul. I think we've gone too far with our comfortableness on that. I think on that, my point would be also like, if we set the standards of like morality for

there is, I think, a trickle down of that. If we kind of go, well, everyone who has an affair or everyone who does this, this and this, it's like an irredeemable, monstrous, dirty dog, completely bankrupt. And I think it's like, well, that will affect the rest of us. If we shift society as we are doing into that very polarised moral space, that would affect us too. I think we talked about this when White Lotus came out. I think there is a habit. I think we're all so hungry for retribution and this class disparity to end that we take these crumbs of, haha, a CEO has been humiliated, and we kind of let it be a stand-in for proper action. I think there was a great piece, I forget who, forget what, forget why, about White Lotus where it said, I think we are

mistaken having a good cackle at a billionaire's expense with proper political change. I think we should be quite aware of that because it's like, don't let that satiate us. There is work to be done. And also affairs like it's a gray area, I think then a lot of us want to admit. It feels like the internet is regressing quite heavily, whether it's our conversations around weight, fat phobia, weight loss, the R word kind of coming back in in pop culture again. Polyester did an amazing podcast episode on that, which I loved. I don't know, just the discourse, just the way we're talking to each other. I don't know if I've been

misled into thinking because in my echo chamber, we know that public shaming online is a bad thing. John Ronson wrote his book possibly 20 years ago at this point. It feels like way too long ago for this to still be happening. We know that this side of the internet can really ruin people's lives. And regardless of what you think about this CEO and his coworker having an affair, I don't think for a second his wife getting messages on her Facebook account, which I saw in the hour after I first saw this video on Twitter. People were commenting on all of her Facebook photos saying things like, I'm here for you girl, don't let a man get you down, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. In what world do you think that this poor woman or the families or any of the people involved

deserve strangers harassing them on their personal social medias? It is absolutely disgusting. If you for a second think that inserting yourself into the lives of other people when they're going through possibly the disillusionment of their families is you providing a shoulder, you are unhinged, you are delusional. I think it is crazy. It's main character syndrome. It's internet sleuthing. It's misinformation as well, seeing all of the kind of fake statements go viral from the people. Also seeing, by the way, the mirror reporting on a fake apology from the CEO that he came out and said, that was not me, and then having to do a retraction. It's just a mess,

it's a complete mess. I also saw the TikToker who shared the original video that went super viral has spoken to The Sun and they said quote, a part of me feels bad for turning these people's lives upside down that play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I hope their partners can heal from this and get a second chance at the happiness they deserve with their future still in front of them. I hope for them my video was a blessing in disguise, but at the end of the day, insert name of the tech CEO, wife and his family are just very real people. So just keep that in mind. The TikToker also said that she'd not made a lot of money from the video,

but she did share a tongue-in-cheek post saying that people who enjoyed the content could pay her via a link to help her pay off her student loans and I don't know that really sat very badly with me. I understand the Sun might have taken that out of context but I do think making a joke about getting paid in this situation I think it's the wrong note and I get it must be overwhelming for the TikToker as well because this video has blown up and it's really hard to know how to manage all of that. I don't think saying maybe this was a blessing in disguise is right. I don't think making a joke about getting paid is right either. I don't think you have any right to say this is a blessing in disguise. Like God,

the hubris of that. But I also don't necessarily blame the TikToker in the first instance of posting it because I mean, actually, I don't know, do they have loads of followers? I can imagine someone just posting that, you wouldn't necessarily know it's going to go totally viral. The circumstances of it are, you know, that is very stupid to go to public place whilst having an affair. There is a little bit of their own thing to blame. My issue more is with the internet at large and I can't remember which episode we spoke about this in, but it's like everything is a little bit of their own thing to blame. My issue more is with the internet at large, and I can't remember which episode we spoke about this in, but it's like everything is a joke. Nothing is handled with care. And when I, I never really go on TikTok and all I saw when I went on

was all these like fake interviews that were compiled with like AI using Chris Martin's voice. So at the beginning, I genuinely thought it was Chris Martin like corresponding about what happened and more and more videos. So everything immediately, there's so much misinformation and fake news and I almost got sucked in and I feel like I'm media literature enough to know when something's not real. But it's just making me think that everyone kind of snidely saying they've got what they, you know, he got what he had coming to him, I hope this thing is a blessing in disguise, thing, they've got what they, you know, he got what he had coming to him. I hope this thing is a blessing in disguise. It's not recognizing their own individual power that they have causing all of this disruption. Like you said, like commenting on this woman's

life. We all, I think, are way too laid back. It's a bit like tattle. It's like every individual user of the internet thinks that they are completely powerless to, whether it's a CEO, whether it's an influencer. But actually, we've seen in all of these instances, the power is with the people online. And the people are the people that proliferate these memes that write this gossip because the numbers of those are actually really vast and they're normally going against one individual, one celebrity, one CEO. And I think that there's a real problem with this perceived power imbalance that causes people to be quite shameless in the way that they talk about people online, that they share certain things, because we forget that actually there is this community.

And once that builds up, there is so much power in those numbers, but everyone thinks because they individually are only one part of that sun, that they're not culpable. And I think we do need to have not to sound like an old biddy, but a bit more decorum and a bit more like what's appropriate here. It's so lawless and it's so reckless. And I hope that that couple are fine. And I do think it was dumb going to a Coldplay concert, but whatever. But I do think that, yeah, the recklessness with the way with which the public kind of

handled these situations, we do need to take a look at ourselves and consider why we feel so comfortable when we're sat behind our screens casting aspersions on other people's lives unless you truly are living the most altruistic, perfect, pure life. I think we've got to be a bit more careful. Before I, because I think it's such a good point to go back first to something you said, Ruchira, when you were sort of like its main character syndrome. I think in this case, it's also something a lot darker. It's kind of like, not even main character, it's like casting director energy. This person will go viral. I am, and I understand the Jumbotron

was quite to blame in that situation because it wasn't like a member of the public had zoomed in on this couple and were like, I'm going to expose them. It was the Jumbotron. So it's quite an unusual situation, but it's very much kind of we each with an iPhone in our hands hold the power to make someone else. We're kind of casting the next main character and I feel like that is so sinister and was sort of touched on in a Guardian piece by Awa Madhawi, who looked at it from the angle of the person who posted the video and is now apparently being showered with advice about how she could leverage this into her own internet fame and money. And also I would imagine that that link to being paid was

probably quite real. I think people do feel quite comfortable going, okay, I've done this service. And also if you get one shot and you've got debt and you're kind of like a lot of people looking at me, fuck it, I'm having the money. And so I'll really quote from the piece where she, Awamadawi is quoting someone else like an expert about what this person could do now. So quote, Grace's video may not have earned her money, but it's earned her name. One expert opined, quote, the question now is how she monetizes that visibility, end quote. As the old saying goes, one person's personal tragedy is another person's monetizable content opportunity. And that is such a modern and depressing consideration in the age of like hawk toers,

which is also referenced in the piece. Like you can leverage someone else's worst day into your own kind of short-lived, but still maybe reasonably profitable media career. And I think that the internet of that ilk used to exist in corners of it, like a weird Twitter or like 4chan or whatever. And now that is sort of how everyone is all the time, like opportunistic, savvy, and not even savvy. I think it's completely like ruthless. And I think, yeah, that's a question that touched on what you said, Noni, it's about to core. And we do not have an internet

social contract. And less and less do we even have a social contract out in the world. It does feel like we've bled from like, oh, some people online are quite weird to being like most people online are quite weird. Where are the normal people? I find it, I just found it like absolutely kind of the ugliest side of things. I mean, yeah, I'm reticent to be like I did have fun with some of the memes. I did, I did. But then you come screaming back and you're like, wait a minute, this is just like a private citizen who conducted their life in a way which I personally find on the surface of it, okay, quite detestable, but again, I don't have any context. I don't know a thing. And yet this is like villain

of the day. I think it's like, see this for what it is, zoom out a bit and you're like, oh, I am also a private citizen. This would ruin my life. Or like, even if this was misunderstood, a life can get ruined even like before context. It does feel like a lot of how virality works is a zero sum game. So you have to feed the beast to then receive something back. It reminds me of the first episode of the latest series of Black Mirror, where Chris O'Dowd struggling to pay for his wife's essential, vital medical care engages in this new side of the internet where you basically have to punish yourself

and torture yourself online and then people pay you because it's like the worst thing you can do to yourself, the more they'll pay you. And it's just a really interesting allegory for I guess how the internet can feel sometimes, especially with the game of going viral and monetizing it especially. It's like the internet has become a way of us creating our own perceived democracy.

We are allowed to politicize each other, we can film each other, we can create laws unto ourselves and it's almost like everyone's fighting. It's such a big distraction. I find filming people in public so strange. Sometimes someone I know will post a video of someone on the street and point something out or like a couple and I cannot explain to you the uncomfortableness that I feel. I would never ever film someone in public. I would never put a stranger on my Instagram.

I feel like that was really normal, but I feel like more and more people think if you're out in public, you have license to be filmed. It's kind of made me think we covered it years ago, but at this guy that was maybe in his seventies that we didn't cover it. It wasn't years ago, but half a long ago that used to go clubbing all the time. And then people started filming him dancing in the club. So he stopped going because he felt really like watched. And I think that we, there's some perceived idea that through filming people in public, we're pointing out something interesting or we're benefiting ourselves, but all we're going to do is just make society a very cagey

strange place. This makes me think, maybe I told this story on the podcast, maybe not, but I was on the Metropolitan Line a few months ago now and quite busy. A woman was standing there, she was on the phone, she was with, I think she had four kids and she was talking on the phone, she was looking about and then another woman came and sat had four kids and she was talking on the phone, she was looking about and then another woman came and sat next to her and I was deeply hung over. And then I look up because the mother of these children looks at this woman, she's like, did you just take a picture of my child? And the child was a really sweet, gorgeous little

blonde girl wearing a cute outfit. I was like, oh, gorgeous. What a daymaker. And this woman was like, yes. And the woman was like, what the f... This woman really, and to her credit, I understand it. She really kicked off. She was like, I need you to delete that right now. And this woman was kind of like, I'm not going to put it on the internet. She's like, but why did you take it? We forget ourselves. It also erodes a good sense of self and a good... We just get the phone out and you think you forgot yourself in that moment. Like you do not, this is not content opportunity, this is a little girl in a public place and like, I was like, oh, I'm going to have to break up a fight.

Luckily this woman did, like she was getting off the train, but like it got really heated, these women were like screaming at each other and I was like, it just feels very straightforward. Like you don't do that. And I think you see it in arguments. People bump into each other in public. And before like having conversation, both phones are out, like they have a disagreement, both phones are out and you're like, we are now filtering conflict resolution through phone

and through content opportunities. It's not going to work. We are now getting competitive and hostile. And I think this whole situation is an extension of that of like, there's no pause, the phone's out, it's recording, we're live streaming everything. Yeah, I think phones are perceived to be this neutral object, but they are not at all. They're increasingly political. They are, you know, the recorders, they're used as evidence of police brutality. In these cases, they're surveillance tools, they're means to broadcast people to millions, if not global audiences. They're not neutral. They've never been neutral. Beyond Data. Condition supply details at freedommobile.ca. This episode is sponsored by the OCS Summer Pre-Roll Sale. Sometimes when you roll your

own joint, things can turn out a little differently than what you expected. Maybe it's a little too loose. Maybe it's a little too flimsy. Or maybe it's a little too covered in dirt because your best friend distracted you and you dropped it on the ground. There's a million ways to roll a joint wrong, but there's one roll that's always perfect. The pre-roll. Shop the summer pre-roll and infuse pre-roll sale today at ocs.ca and participating retailers. Gen Z look away or stare away because we are talking about you yet again. The Gen Z stare as it's been coined is a hot topic of conversation among many generations this week. But what is it? Well, apparently a blank, dead eyed look often employed by Gen Zs in customer facing roles and also beyond.

So according to the Irish Times, the first mention of the Gen Z stare occurred just under a year ago, but it's only I would say this week that a wider conversation about it is happening. Some people are saying it's not real, others are saying absolutely is real and are digging into possible reasons for why. In a piece for Vox by Alex Abad Santos, a professor at Barnard College with a focus on social perception, cognition and self-awareness says she has seen this look in her Gen Z students and is quoted as saying, it's sort of like they're looking at me as though they're watching a TV show. Writing for The Independent, Gen Z journalist Valentina Botero stands up in defense of the stare and the Gen Z workers who are the center of the jokes and the critique. She writes, quote, if you haven't encountered the stare or the manufactured media outrage about it,

the Gen Z stare is a blank, unbothered expression that older generations find terrifying. Naturally, Gen Z pushed back, especially those working in the food service industry, who were often most accused of doing it. Of course we're going to stare. What is there to say when you're being asked inane questions while earning minimum wage? While she explains the stare as a bucking of expectation and rejection of hierarchy, other people believe it's to do with a childhood and adolescence spent using and overusing screens, the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns

on opportunities to develop socially, and a general feeling of listlessness and disconnect caused by climate chaos and ongoing global injustices. I'm really fascinated by this. Before we get into it properly, I've got to ask, have you guys seen the Gen Z stare? Do you believe it's real? What is your take? This feels like a tweet rather than a sociopolitical trend from what you've said. I haven't seen enough to understand why this has become a thing. I will say though, my sister who is eight years younger than me, firmly Gen Zed and I'm firmly millennial, sometimes she does look at me blankly, but I just assumed that's because she's

trying to indicate to me that what she thinks I'm saying is stupid. I don't think it's necessarily a generational trend. I think that's a sister dynamic. So I'm going to say no. My eyes are firmly rolling in the back of my head every time I hear people talking about the Gen Z stairs. So I am hugely cynical. So my main encounters with Gen Z are in Germ the Juice. Other coffee shops are available. But that is mostly where I come into contact with Gen Z. And I can juice, other coffee shops are available. But that is mostly where I come into contact with Gen Z. And I don't know, I can't think if I've noticed like a stare specifically, but I do think there is an approach to social interaction that

is very different from millennials in a way that does feel slightly disdainful. I'm always super chatty. I'm always in there going, hey, how are you? How's your day? And they're kind of looking at me like, why is she asking me a question? And they obviously will respond nicely, but I do think there is a level of sort of, they can't like, from what I perceive it to be, is like, they kind of can't be asked with this nice tease, let's not pretend that we're here for anything other than like, I'm getting paid minimum wage. And they will also just go and chat to their friends. Like there is like a laissez-faireness approach to life in a way that maybe we would

brought up or approach life ever so slightly differently. The more I read about this, the more I get convinced that it's real, but I don't think I'm around gen Zs often enough to comment specifically apart from when I go and get a spicy tuna. I think that's it. I think it's, and no one is aligned on this. There are gen Zs that are like, it's absolutely real and it's because we're sick of your shit and because we are not going to tolerate idiocy from older generations or their rudeness. I think they're saying that this is like sort of workers revolution. And then there's Gen Z that are like, it's not real. It's just millennials coping. It's just, it's this, that, and the other people

are going, it's, it is our version of the millennial pause in that it's just this, that and the other people are going. It is our version of the millennial pause in that it's a behavior that occurs, but it doesn't mean the things that other people are saying it means. So it feels very much, and I said this to you both, it feels like the rat boy summer of this year, which is something I saw on Blind Boy's Instagram story. And I was like, that is it, isn't it? Just this term that feels robust. And you're like, oh my God, yeah, there's something to that. And then you look at it a bit closer and you're like, oh my God, yeah, there's something to that. Then you look at it a bit closer and you're like, I'm not entirely sure this is worth the paper it's written on. I think it's going to be interesting to see whether this has longer legs

than Rap Boy Summer, which obviously fell into dust because it was not a real thing, but everyone talked about it for two weeks. Or whether this kind of develops into social theory or whether we hear from more Gen Zs about it. Because I think it's, I find generational analysis very interesting. I just think way too soon, I would say, to know if this adds up to anything. I'm trying to work out if I've seen it and I'm hoping that I've not seen it because I'm not a nightmare to serve in public, but I'm probably also a little bit dense. Like I do the millennial pause constantly. There's definitely something to be said for a generational wide behavior.

And I don't think they should be that offended personally. So for anyone who doesn't know the millennial pause is truly such a cutting, cutting trend that people have coined for the two second kind of lag of millennials jumping on a reel or a camera because they haven't edited close to them jumping into speech. So it's like you pick up a camera and you just go, hi, blah, blah, blah, blah. And there's this awkward, horrible, nightmarish pause. And I guess it comes to represent Gen Z's attack on us just being tech illiterate, this like tiny bit tech illiterate

that we know about all the kind of TikTok trends, we're like posting, but we just aren't that good at it. We're not good enough that we still are sloppy and just mortifying when we're trying to get involved. Do you know where it comes from? I've remembered now. So when I first was doing, well, when I was doing Instagram when I was at uni, I was remembering that basically I think iPhones used to have a lag when you press start, because I remember I had to rerecord my stories over and over again, because I'd press start and then I would start talking and then it would catch me like midway through the first word.

So I think it's a hangover from how video used to work on iPhones about 10 years ago, where when you press record, it wouldn't actually start straight away. So we would press record, wait. Okay, hi, da, da, da. So I think it's just, it's actually a hangover from like us adapting to the tech, but now when I see it and I still do it, I can't mine out because I cannot bear.

There's something about it that actually like chills me to my bones just because I find it so embarrassing, like, and I got secondhand embarrassment, but I remember the other day, I actually think that is what it is. And I even remember my mom saying, you need to wait before you start filming because it always cuts off before you start talking.

Like it cuts off your first word. So I think that's actually where it's come from. And there is that thing to be said that like, whatever tech you kind of come of age with, you stay at that level. So that's just what we're used to. I don't think we can tell us off too much, but you should cut them out if you're doing them

because it does upset me. One thing that you said, Beth, I think is so interesting about, this is our version of Rap Boy Summer, and we've seen it before, media outlets, in their desperation to cover internet culture are so crap at understanding when something is a legitimate trend or genuinely viral,

which is ironic because they've covered the Coldplay thing, which I think is obviously supersonic viral. I don't think you can label something a trend without it having enough basis behind it, but the amount of think pieces, features, all of that stuff on this, when there's just not that much behind it. It was the same with the quote, quiet quitting. I did a piece for Prospect magazine, I think the year that quiet quitting became really viral and the original video had maybe like 500,000 views, which in TikTok terms, that's not viral. That is not even nearly viral. When you're talking about a viral video on this podcast, I would say a few million and above. And even if it's a few million, these days, I think 10 plus million is actually viral. So I think a lack of rigorous internet reporting contributes to things

like Ratboy's summer goblin mode being reported on in the fucking Guardian, which did happen, by the way. And it's kind of just a bit of a miss. And I think, I don't know, that lack of rigor when talking about trends does really wind me bit of a miss. And I think, I don't know, that lack of rigor when talking about trends does really wind me up quite a lot. I think where this will be interesting is if it proves to be a part of like a larger pastiche of Gen Z's attitude to work and their habits at work and their habits socially, which is like not to be sniffed out with a whole generation of people quite quitting to mean like, yeah, kind of not putting too much stockpile at what does my boss need from me? It's kind of actually being more self-interested as a

worker, recognizing where you're being exploited. And I think that will prove to be really interesting, but it's like what people are doing is taking this as look at these young idiots, the way that they did with us when we ruined every single industry by eating all of our avocado toast. So I feel a level of solidarity and I think that's where it would be interesting. And I was reading around this and it's a lot of kind of well-reasoned but yeah again flimsy pieces. And then there was a piece for the Telegraph by Celia Walden and I think she had something, she had a few like really biting things to say and she describes an interaction that she had with a Gen Z cashier. I'll quote a bit because I think it is quite something and the context here

is that she's buying something she's talking about, the stare and the girl's eyes in particular. They rested upon me, unblinking and slightly unfocused for what felt like a lifetime. I felt my blood freeze in my veins, my throat dry up. A nervous pulse started up at the base of my neck. Adding another horse, please, did nothing. And I considered putting the pen back. The eyes were still on me, still eerily vacant. And at no stage had Miss Z blinked. How had her corneas not dried up? I never got to ask. Tiring eventually of her own glare, the girl rang up my pen, took my money and went back to scrolling through Depop on her phone." And I understand this is a humorous account of the stare, but it's also, I think it does speak to quite a caustic attitude to young people, young women especially, to a girl who probably was just like bored out of her mind, bored out of her mind, retail job. I think we have to resist

pathologizing those glancing interactions, especially as grown women. I think that is worthy of a little bit of a dead-eyed stare. She does talk in the piece about what she thinks that is, but her conclusion is it's like a culture of defiance and sullenness. I think if that's true, then dig into the reasons why. Why would you have a culture of people who do feel blank-eyed, disengaged, sullen, and disconnected Like whether that's COVID, climate catastrophe, live stream genocide. I think to want to make sense of that is interesting, but to pathologize is just not. I think we can do better. Also, I have to say it's not just Gen Z. I'm becoming increasingly curmudgeonly in my old age. I really don't like people that don't have manners. I find it very

infuriating when people are impolite. And the amount of times recently, and I old age, I really don't like people that don't have manners. I find it very infuriating when people are impolite. And the amount of times recently, and I can't believe I do this, but that I hold doors open for people, I'm standing there for about half an hour, and suddenly the next thing you know, I'm actually like a porter of this door in the shop, and I've let 30 people out, no one's let me in. And I found myself going, you're welcome, or I move off the street, or I help someone, and I will say to people, you're welcome. Me too.

And actually often it's people in their 40s and 50s. Agree. The amount I do loads, I always am doing stuff like this and I really brazen, I can't believe I do it and then I think, I can't believe you've just done that, you're so embarrassing. But I will just say, because it means nothing, I don't mind, but just say thank you. And it always really shocks me when people don't do it. And more often than not, it isn't young people, actually young people I do tend to find are quite polite to me,

but that's because I'm really smiley when I'm out and about. Someone told me I have a resting smiling face. And young people seem to respond to that. Older people actually sometimes don't. Sometimes they will just evil you till the end of the day. So I don't think we can say exclusively that it's one generation or another. I agree. I also relate to that so hard because three out of 10 days, not my worst days, but just a bad day, if you'd asked me what's actually gone wrong, if I work back, it's probably

because I've had a handful of instances where I've held the door open or I've waited for people to get off the tube. People don't wait anymore. People just rush on, which is rude. It's rude. Oh my God, drives me insane. Wait for people. Wait for people off the train. Don't run into them, especially when there's a pram. It's rude. Anyway, so if I work back, it will be actually because I've internalized several instances of that. So I have to really be mindful to not do that. And I agree with you, I've never noted it to be somebody young. It's only ever been middle-aged older people actually,

which really winds me up. But saying that, even though it's clearly bothered me so much, I have to have a mental attack procedure to not let it get me down. I've not written a think piece about the generational boomers who are fucking rude, even though they are sometimes. Because even I know there's a few instances and you can't sweep a brush across a whole generation. I think that's the problem with this piece. I haven't seen enough evidence that this can be generational. It feels like it's been worked back because there's an amazing phrase, Gen Z stare, really powerful phrase, and it sounds like a great trend. And then it's been worked back to understand what could fill in the gaps. That's my perception on this. I buy into the generational behaviors, whether this is one yet to be seen. We are informed by the conditions of our upbringing and the media. I think we've got a whole generation now of babies raised on screens who will likely have different ways of emoting because they

are watching cartoons rather than real people's faces. I think I agree with both of you. And I think generational behaviors exist and often boomers shaped by their relative privilege and access and to prosperity and upward mobility are a bunch of, I'll beep this, and I think it's okay to say. Oh, for boomer listeners, I'm not talking about you. So over the weekend, Charlie Axiex tied the knot to 1975 drama, George Daniel at Hackley Town Hall with a handful of friends and followed it up with alfresco cigs and martinis against a backdrop of lime bikes. And that's brat. She wore Vivienne Westwood and her bouquet was all British grown seasonal flowers with her florist Hamish Powell sharing the details on Instagram. The guest list was small and the vibes were relaxed. Now I have to say she is having a big

Italian wedding later in the summer, but after the outpouring of love and admiration for this relatively low-key nuptials, I wonder if we're about to see the beginning of anti-weddings, just chic little celebrations that forego the now infamous three-day affairs that have friends falling out, people can't afford the ever increasingly unrealistic expectations, and of course, as I said earlier, we are going to have to cover her Sicilian wedding when it happens because I know that is going to be nuts. But there is a part of me that wonders if this is going to actually inspire people to recognize that there's something deeply chic and actually really lovely about just getting married in your local town hall and then getting a bit of dinner down the road. What did you guys

make of it? I liked it and I don't really understand weddings. I was like, oh yeah, of course you're saying that. I was like, of course there's going to be a big wedding. Whereas I quite like the idea of people with really big, big money having inexpensive weddings and kind of going, well, that's it. We are married now. It's not just the official bit. We did something lovely with some people. I mean, married now, it's not just the official bit. We did something lovely with some people. I really liked it. I'm kind of anti-modern wedding culture and I'm sure her Sicilian wedding is going to be stunning and everything that I'm critical of and I'm going to love it. But I think it's very competitive, it's very draining. It means that ordinary people desperately try and keep up with the Joneses and get an enormous debt and actually have

a terrible day. I like this as a blueprint, even though there's a big one coming, I liked it as a blueprint of saying like, you can do a chic but small wedding without breaking the bank. And I think a lot of people may try and mimic this and not break the bank, not that they are the architects of this town hall wedding followed by lunch at a nice restaurant followed by a bar. As people were saying in the comments, this is my exact wedding day. I just think it's a nice reminder that you don't have to follow this up with a big Italian wedding. You could just do this and it's very chic. It's cool. Don't feel embarrassed. So I liked it on balance. I thought it was quite cute. I adored her Vivienne Westwood mini dress. I thought it was absolutely beautiful. Also,

I saw Lauren Groney from Every Outfit podcast also wore the same Vivienne Westwood white mini dress for her wedding. I just think it's absolutely beautiful. And I agree with you both. I thought it was such a nice way to kind of do a wedding. They didn't necessarily have to feel huge and spectacular. It's amazing. The people who do those like giant weddings, I love seeing clips of them. And I love when I've been able to be a part of them. They're absolutely gorgeous. But I also think it's just a reminder that weddings can be whatever you want them to be. And I think it's really hard. And I can only imagine how easy it must be to get sucked into and prescribing to you what you're supposed to do and what they're supposed to look like and forgetting that they can be anything you want them to be if you want to get married. And her doing the town hall, her picking those flowers which looked like she just run through a meadow and grabbed a few daisies, I thought it was so pretty.

I thought it was so beautiful. And there was this viral tweet that went round that everyone's been quoting since that it's amazing to see a bride look like herself and it's so true her wearing those sunglasses in that wedding dress with the bouquet that is slightly non-traditional, it just was very cool and very chic and it very much felt like this was her take on getting married. And I know the big Sicily wedding is coming, which I will be thrilled to talk about, but it was just very cool. Weddings can be very taste driven and they can be very unique. And this was a very cool reminder of that.

It's interesting actually, because Sophie Habou did an identikit wedding in a town hall wearing the exact same Vivienne Westwood dress, which I do think is quite funny because that Vivian Westwood dress is just like the iconic perfect town hall getting married dress. But I also, I have to say, I know it's so classic. Like most people back in the day would just go get married. They weren't getting married in a church. You were getting married in a town hall.

Your friends and family would come and meet you. And I actually felt kind of relieved to see her doing this because I don't know if I'll ever get married, but the idea of having a big wedding if by the time I got around to it, I imagine it wouldn't be till like my late thirties. None of my friends are going to want to go to a wedding or maybe they will. Maybe they'll be ready for another round of weddings by then. I think it kind of feels like a relief to remember. I get like secondhand stress when my friends start planning a wedding and it's like, God,

there's so much to it. And don't get me wrong, I love being a guest at a wedding. And one of my favorite things actually is the speeches. And I can't ever work out if when you do a wedding like this, if you get some of those components, I'm sure you can just stand up in the restaurant and say a few words. But that is one of my favorite bits. But I do think it's just a relief to remember that you can actually just put on a gorgeous gown, pop a bit of mascara on.

Like she did a TikTok in the morning of just like her like dancing around in a hotel. It just felt so relaxed. And I think the layers upon layers upon layers of stress that normal people, not celebrities feel now for their weddings, including wedding planners and makeup artists and hairdressers and photographers and videographers and like these full productions that now have become synonymous with a wedding for anyone is wild. And I think it's a relief for like a trendsetter or someone that we perceive to be, you know, the height of cool to go actually you can just, yeah, get these locally grown flowers, wear a dress that it gave the vibe that she'd actually just gone and bought that dress like that morning. It really felt like that. Like she just bought the dress, bought the shoes,

done her hair. But obviously, yeah, when Sicily happens, I'm sure it's going to be a really different story. But it would be iconic if this was the only wedding. Thank you so much for listening this week. Before we go, just checking that you've listened to our latest Everything in Conversation episode, where we dive into the secret nightmare of digital nomad lifestyles. As always, if you enjoy listening to us then please please do leave us a review and a rating. We absolutely love reading them and it helps others to find the podcast. And please also follow us on Instagram and TikTok at Everything is Content Pod. See you next week. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye.

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Bye. Bye. Bye. Bye. Byemobile.ca. This episode is sponsored by the OCS Summer Pre-Roll Sale. Sometimes when you roll your own joint, things can turn out a little differently than what you expected. Maybe it's a little too loose. Maybe it's a little too flimsy. Or maybe it's a little too covered in dirt because your best friend distracted you and you dropped it on the ground. There's a million ways to roll a joint wrong,

but there's one roll that's always perfect, the pre-roll. Shop the summer pre-roll and infuse pre-roll sale today at ocs.ca and participating retailers.