"Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times." Chinese Proverb

#Trending

“Ayyyoooo, what do you wanna tell Joe Biden right now?” TikTok is the most visited website in the world. No seriously. Take a sip of your wine and let that sink in. An app that was built off of short form lip syncing and dancing videos now rivals the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Apple, etc. and doing the griddy all the way to #1. 

TikTok launched in 2016 but didn’t gain any real traction until late 2017 after acquiring Music.ly to capture the majority of a market that people didn’t even know was there….yet. In less than 5 years, TikTok now dominates social media. Instagram had to adapt to the trend of short videos by incorporating IG reels, but TikTok remains the leader of the pack. Side note: Are Fanny packs still a thing? I digress. Anyways, what can we derive from this information? The deeper question is, how does this alter our consumption of media and what indication does this provide on where attention is heading? How will news outlets and big brands pivot in this “instant gratification” world. How long before the Wendy’s logo girl is twerking on camera with a Baconator sitting in the background watching? Hopefully never. 

TikTok continues to scale by working with companies such as Westin Hotels, Taco Bell, and Texas Roadhouse to display content beyond mobile screens and further increase exposure in a traditional environment. They are fiercely shifting culture and upping the standard for other platforms, all while boasting the most efficient and in turn effective algorithm on the internet. This  keeps users continuously engaged. 

Where do we go from here? I have no clue. I truly don’t. In an era when the world is at a significant divide, I’m sure we can agree that at one point we all said  “I won’t download that app” or at least never thought it would get to this point and well, here we are.

#Trailblazing

McDonald's Metaverse Mashup

Did someone say Metaverse? Badabababa I’m lovin' it. As this article was written on Valentine’s Day, here is a poem: 

Meta this and Meta that, can I control my heart in a virtual world, or will I strike out at bat? My avatar is kind but has feelings too, he’s looking for a meta queen to say I love you. 

Hold the applause.

Sooo moving on. I’m sure you have heard rambles about the Metaverse from us before. Whether it is Justin bidding on virtual land (and losing) or Alex staying up till 3am playing golf, there is a common theme occurring. The concept of a “virtual world” is becoming more relevant than ever before. Let’s break down a scene to briefly bring forth what the Metaverse is. Step 1: You buy a VR headset, Step 2: You create your avatar, Step 3: You enter virtual spaces/properties (Sandbox, Decentraland, and Somnium are among the 3 most popular.) Step 4: You transfer digital assets (NFT’s) that either give you access to exclusive spaces, virtual events or you just keep them in your “home” on display, Step 5: Take off headset and wonder what the f*ck is the world coming to. 

Let’s put this into perspective. TikTok lives. Right now, the only form of interaction between the creator and the community is through comments. Expression, mannerism, and tone is not translatable through text. Picture this: We Go Along owns property in the SandBox. During a merch drop, a T-shirt is sold that contains a passcode to our virtual space. Your avatar enters the room and can communicate with not only Alex but other holders of that code as well. Ya ya ya, I know what you're thinking; “Oh but we want to look at him and see him”. Don’t worry we will ensure his avatar is the best looking one in town. This is not a foreshadow of our plans (......) but it does showcase some of the personable values associated with the Metaverse.

McDonald’s, America's fast food grandfather, a place where only the happiest of meals are sold, recently rang in the Lunar New Year with a virtual experience in the AltspaceVR and Spatial virtual reality (VR) platforms. The space was designed by American fashion designer Humberto Leon, who showcased the year of the tiger through various zodiac sculptures. 

Regardless of what was involved in McDonald’s first ever virtual experience, it is noteworthy that they are taking strides in establishing a footstep in bridging the physical and virtual world. Personally, my avatar is watching his carb intake so he will not be taking part in any meta Mcdonald's event. As marketers continue to judge traction and effectiveness in this new form of advertising, companies need to deliberate on strategies to explore the blurred lines between customer’s virtual footprint and real world buying power.

#Traveling

In-Flight Etiquette  

We all know the rules that are in place to keep us safe in the air. Switching your phone to airplane mode and pretending to watch the safety demonstration every time before takeoff. Arguably even more important, though, are the unspoken rules of flying. You know, all the normal parts of plane etiquette that allow everyone to enjoy the flight. We’ve put together a handy guide to plane etiquette so you don’t have to be a shit person on planes.

Here are the top 5 unspoken rules of flying:

1. Don't take your shoes off - Nobody wants to see your bare feet. It’s okay to take your shoes off on a long-haul flight, but bring socks and you’ve gotta use common sense. If your know your feet are a bit stanky, keep them covered. And never, ever put your bare feet on the seat in front of you.
    
2. Don’t recline your seat on a short flight - If your flight is less than three hours, then boy do we have news for you! Reclining your seat is only acceptable on longer flights after the meal has been served.
    
3. Middle seat gets the armrests - Window seat gets the views, aisle seat is first served when the snacks come around, and middle seat gets both the armrests. The person in the middle seat has literally nothing else going for them on this flight, so having two armrests is the least they deserve.
    
4. Always use your headphones - There’s only one thing worse than hearing someone else’s music, and that’s hearing someone else’s music on a 10-hour flight. I don’t care if you’re pumping T-Swift's biggest hits, the rest of the plane doesn’t need to hear it.
    
5. Don’t stand up as soon as the plane lands - In reality, you’re still going to be stuck on the plane for just as long as everyone else.

#WeeklyTopPicks

We Go Along Top Picks

#AlexFoodReview
Velvet Taco | 522 Congress Ave Suite 100, Austin, TX

Buffalo Chicken Taco: During our stay in Austin, we were able to try the highly rated and highly recommended Velvet Taco. Now this taco place isn’t your traditional Mexican food outlet. You’re greeted with a variety of different options. Personally, I went with the Buffalo chicken taco and the Korean fried rice taco. Upon the first bite, I was not disappointed. The Buffalo chicken taco had so much flavour behind it and the sauce was exquisite. However the Korean fried rice taco wasn’t necessarily what I was expecting and was taken a little off guard by it. Nonetheless, it still was a good taco. The service was good and pretty quick, all around I’d definitely recommend to any Mexican/taco lovers, it’s a great spot to eat.
Overall Rating: 8

#Flix
Seaspiracy | 2021 | Documentary

Seaspiracy is a 2021 documentary film about the environmental impact of fishing directed by and starring Ali Tabrizi, a British filmmaker. The film examines various human impacts on marine life and advocates for ending fish consumption.

#Facts
Random fact of the week

More than 95,000 people lost a collective $770 million due to fraud on social media last year, a new FTC report found. That represents 25% of all reported losses to fraud in 2021 and an 18x increase over social media scam losses in 2017.