Maybe I don't wanna go outside

I’m going to take a nap right here.

I was in a Clubhouse room with people talking about if they’re ready to go out and meet people again.

Generally, people are looking forward to it. One person said they’d wait until the virus is completely eliminated — to which someone responded, “See you in 2029, babe.”

We all have to get back out there eventually, but with all the change and new outlets we’ve found in the last year, we’d miss the mark if we said mass gatherings or live experiences would feel the same.

This got me thinking: Maybe we’re on our way to being hybrid — virtual and in-person — for good.

This isn’t an evolutionary thought. I’m not the first one to have it, and it’s something that’s been on my mind for months now.

For an even bigger picture, maybe the post-pandemic period is going to be the time when we’ll truly globalize now that people know they don’t need to leave their homes to be a part of something.

Live shows have been coming back across the U.S., and Coachella already sold out advance passes to next year’s festival.

No one can say what exactly the COVID-19 situation will look like next year, but one expectation people might have is that these types of large events will have some sort of virtual component.

Coachella for years has used streaming as a part of the experience, especially for people who can’t make it to the desert.

But now with the advent of social audio, I’m wondering how many promoters will take the opportunity to tap into those audiences.

Twitter, and supposedly Clubhouse, are working on ticketed functions for their audio experiences. Facebook and YouTube creators have been selling virtual tickets to their streams for a while now too.

However it turns out might be up to user behavior on the platform and attendance at the live events. Like everything with this post-pandemic world, time will tell.

I said last week that I’m writing premium content for this space now that we’ve been hanging out for a while. I truly appreciate each and every one of you who opens this newsletter weekly. (There are dozens of us now!)

If you keep up with internet culture, watch TikToks to fall asleep, or if you’re trying to understand Gen Z, you should become a member.

It’s $5 a month. In a lot of places, that’s cheaper than a frappucino at Starbucks.

Naomi Osaka skipped the French Open for her mental health and many people supported her decision.

Y'all should know me by now. Anytime you need to unplug, do it. I will support you. The world is better with you in it as your best self.

Nigerian users have, effectively, been de-platformed on Twitter by their government. If you’ve been around on social media long enough, or have paid attention to social tech, you know just how influential Nigerian users have been. In other words, this is a big deal.

The White House had its first social media briefing. Jen Psaki talked with influencers and The Property Brothers. Does anyone have insight on who the target audience was? This promo threw me off, not gonna lie.

🚫 Facebook banned former president Donald Trump for two years.

▶️ The YouTube creator economy is alive and well, and still thriving.

🕹 Twitch is 10 years old this month.

📲 Instagram is changing its algorithm after it was accused of censoring pro-Palestinian content.

💬 Discord keeps growing and Sony and Microsoft want in. Also, people can now browse Stage Channels, Discord’s public social audio rooms.

💸 Snapchat creators made $130 million through Spotlight, the platform’s TikTok dupe.

Thanks for making it all the way through!

I want to send out a virtual hug to everyone who paid for a membership. I’m working through the content in the coming weeks.

For those of you subscribed to the free version of this newsletter, don’t worry! You’ll still get most of what I put out there.

I try to cover almost everything I think people should know about. But if I missed anything you think should be here, tell me about it.

Again, like I say all the time, this is one of the most joyful parts of my week.

Until next time,

Shayne