Morning Brew - 🍵 Par-tea

Hello! May your week be filled with anticipation for Ted Lasso, Ted Lasso, and this week’s number one priority...Ted Lasso (coming July 23). 

— Rachel Cantor 

Big tech committing big money to support creators is so last year. TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube all did so in 2020. Then last week, staying true to its reputation as outdated, Facebook announced its plan to pay more than $1 billion to creators through new bonus programs. The investment will “reward creators for great content,” wrote Zuck. But that train has already left the station. 

As a generation that values transparency and trust above all, Gen Z sees right through this spending spree. It’s not so much a way to “reward” as it is a play for more creative economy market share. But after living through the company’s constant privacy and political scandals, a $1 billion creator fund isn’t going to get Gen Z back on Facebook. To us, Facebook is cheugy and a money sucking ad machine. 

Our reluctance isn’t just a moral stance. Facebook desperately wants creators to use Reels, their direct competitor to TikTok...but Reels is just a BAD product. The algorithm provides far less discoverability than TikTok’s “For You” page, and the post-production capabilities aren’t there either. Those who do use Reels are only doing so because Instagram supposedly favors it. 

Bottom line: It seems like Facebook is just trying to stay relevant, but it’ll take more than $1 billion to sell Gen Z on FB. 

• Veep meets The West Wing in the quippy, scripted historical fiction(ish) podcast Edith!, starring Rosamund Pike as America’s secret First Female President.
• A satisfying explanation for why you’re seeing photo dumps—aka random photos with no context—all over Instagram.
• This deep dive on how K-pop took over the universe illustrates why someone would bid $20,000 on BTS Chicken McNuggets.
• No point in arguing that caffeine is bad for you, when you pair it with antioxidants in this strawberry iced matcha latte. Plus, the pink and green layers make for a pretty thing to look at on a busy morning. 

Finding your voice is like shopping for a pair of jeans—you have to try on a bunch of different styles before you land on the best fit. Rachel Jepsen of The Long Conversation dedicated a recent newsletter to making the whole process a bit more pleasant. 

She explains: “Voice isn’t something you do. It’s what’s revealed when you stop trying. The more you write, the more you’ll know who you are.” You don’t have to subscribe to Malcolm Gladwell’s 10,000-hour theory, but a consistent writing practice is key. She suggests 15 minutes of free writing a day (bump it up to 30 for a challenge), and whenever you get stuck, start with a prompt. Find a bunch of ’em here. 

How our beloved boss man gets his groove...

We aren’t flattering him because he cofounded the company that brought you this newsletter and gave us our jobs. He’s just downright impressive. He’s straight up inspiring. He’s Alex Lieberman: the overachieving college dorm dreamer who put the Brew on the map. NBD.

And we’ve mapped out the fitness routine that gets Alex grinding and (just as importantly) unwinding. It includes everything from his runs to his hikes to the shoes on his feet— which are none other than HOKA ONE ONE.

In his HOKA shoes, Alex doesn’t skip a beat. And you won’t wanna skip the deets, photos, and adorable pup in this story of how the rise-and-grind guy actually rises and grinds.

Check out the article right here. 

• Last week I mentioned my newfound passion for peach iced tea, and I blame Swoon. Crack open a can for a perfectly sweet afternoon pick-me-up. With zero sugar and nothing artificial, it’s a par-tea. 
• With Ghia’s LeSpritz, a non-alc apéritif, you get a little fizz and a whole lotta herbaceousness. It feels like you’re drinking a cocktail without the headache of prepping a complicated drink (or the hangover afterward). 
• New beverage spotting on yesterday’s highly anticipated adventure to Foxtrot Market: De La Calle tepache. Made from pineapple peels, the traditional Mexican beverage contains healthful probiotics, and it’s light and fruity. Fans of candied ginger will live for the taste—especially the original flavor—and the pleasant bubbles that accompany it.