"Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." Ralph Waldo Emerson

#WeGoAlong

Essentially Summer

I hope everyone has recovered from their long weekend festivities. To our fellow Americans, our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragic events that transpired on Monday. It is truly heartbreaking that these disgusting acts continue to be a regular occurrence. 

With that being said; watching Joey Chestnut down 63 hot dogs in 10 minutes, on crutches, while beating up a protester mid competition was legendary to say the least. 

Soo whatsup with WGA? Our Summer essential kits have finally arrived. The kits are fully branded and include a custom box, deck of playing cards, can cooler, bottle opener, and shot glass. We are releasing a limited quantity and within each box you will find a one off polaroid picture. Hold onto them because they will be used for something else down the line. 

At the time of the Summer kit release, we will have two YouTube videos and one club video posted. The first YouTube video will include our trip to Vancouver, fight night, and some vlog clips. The second, is a sit down with Alex where he informs you guys about what is in store for the WGA community. It has been something that he and I have been putting in place for the past month and we believe is the best course of action for Alex and the content he wants to bring you. The club video? Well let's just say the scientology cartoon skit is close to being complete.

Let's get into 'er

#Trending

BeReal. Your Friends for Real. 

Sometimes you just want to see what all your friends are doing without you. And while Instagram stories and Snaps might hint that your friends didn’t invite you to Starbucks, there’s only one app that may actually feel authentic: BeReal. The social media app founded in December 2019 by French developer Alexis Barreyat is quickly making its way onto the phones of Gen Zers around the world.

BeReal is the anti-influencer site, notifying you in the App Store that if you want to be famous, “you can stay on TikTok and Instagram.”

So how does it work? At a random time each day, the app sends you a notification to post a photo. You have 2 minutes to take the perfect pic—there’s no uploading saved photos or a 30-minute grace period to set up your ring light. If you miss the notification, you can still upload your photo for the day, but you get a rude little note that tells all your friends how late you were.

Fair warning: Most BeReals are going to be laptop screens and a reflection of your friends brushing their teeth. Turns out our real lives can be kinda boring. You have to post every day to see your friends' posts, but every so often someone’s on a walk or doing something interesting, like sitting at the drive thru waiting for a happy meal.

So people…like this? Short answer: yes. BeReal has spread rapidly since it hit app stores two years ago, but the app’s growth in 2022 is on another level. Of its 5 million total lifetime downloads, 65% have come from this year alone. Of course, investors are paying attention, too. BeReal raised $30 million in its most recent funding round last summer.

What sets BeReal apart from the other social media heavy hitters is its Wordle-like scarcity: Post just one photo a day and you’re done. Which means that, after years of promoting endless scroll feeds, VIPs like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok will find it hard to copy BeReal’s unique offering.

#Trailblazing

The Metaverse: A View from Inside

Oh boy. The Metaverse. For those who know, the entirety of the crypto world is in shambles. There are two key takeaways from a situation like the one we are in for those who have invested in coins, NFTs, etc. If you look at the price history of stable coins (“stable” lol) such as Bitcoin and Ethereum you will see that this is cyclical. The pattern of substantial sell offs met with an inevitable down spiral of value is just how this industry is. I have seen it since 2017 and I sleep like a baby knowing we are in the early stages of this space. Therefore, don’t be scared.

Secondly, and I argue the most important lesson is never over-extend yourself and put all your eggs in one basket. If someone's overall financial situation is in critical condition because of crypto, I suggest heading back to the basics and reading the wealthy barber. Be smart and cautious. Anyway, that's my short spiel and I’ll shut up now. 

Gen Z consumers spend twice as much time socially interacting in the Metaverse than they do in real life, according to new research conducted by Vice Media Group. The study draws a link between playing video games and the Metaverse, a broad buzzword encompassing blended digital and real-world experiences. The age group carries bigger aspirations tied to these online spaces, with over half (52%) of Gen Z gamers reporting they would like to make money in the Metaverse and one-third desiring to build a career there. Wouldn't that be nice?

Twenty percent plan to direct their “fun” budgets allocated for entertainment and leisure to in-game purchases over the next five years, representing an average annual spend of about $50.  In turn, one-third of Gen Zers would like to see brands develop virtual stores, and 30% were receptive to brands selling skins and apparel to outfit digital avatars. Think of your avatar wearing the latest sneakers rom Adidas. 

Marketers must be mindful of not being intrusive, as 63% of respondents stated they were concerned about data privacy in video games and the Metaverse. Still, those figures are lower than for millennials (66%) and Gen X (70%), underpinning a budding acceptance of branded virtual experiences among younger cohorts.

#Traveling

Space Travel

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine released its once-a-decade survey in April to reveal its funding recommendations for future outer space study.  The report offers a peek into what we can expect from NASA and other space industry players in the next decade.

Booking a trip to Uranus. Much to every middle schooler’s delight, the report declared a ~$4 billion SpaceX-launched journey to the icy giant as a “flagship” or priority mission for NASA. If NASA agrees, we could be looking at a 2031 launch date.

Confronting space’s underrepresentation. For the first time, the survey discussed systemic bias and minuscule representation of marginalized groups in the industry. It also endorsed the dual anonymous peer review system, which forces committees to evaluate scientific proposals without knowing the identity of the authors.

Blowing up asteroids. The survey recommended that NASA try a dress rehearsal for defending us from space rocks by beefing up planetary defence. One asteroid, Apophis, that will zoom close to Earth in 2029 might be the leading lady.

#WeeklyTopPicks

We Go Along Top Picks

#Flix
The INSANE Truth About TikTok | 2021 | Documentary  | YouTube

The Story of TikTok & Bytedance - This TikTok Movie by MagnatesMedia covers the rise of TikTok and Bytedance, showing how TikTok got so popular and took over the world so suddenly. Explores why TikTok is so successful, how TikTok makes so much money, and the dark consequences of TikTok.
 

#Facts
Random fact of the week

Greenland Sharks are known to be some of the oldest living animals in our world. Researchers did carbon dating on a Greenland Shark that was caught in 2014 and found it to be around 392 years old. Further testing revealed that our fishy friends could be up to 500 years old. Yes, that would mean that our geriatric friends would have been alive when Leonardo Da Vinci painted the "Mona Lisa."