Did you know that on average, the daily time spent reading among American adults was approximately 17 minutes in 2021? Some quick back of napkin math says that since there’s 1,440 minutes in a day, you’re looking at only 1% of your day being devoted to reading. Don’t worry, we’re here to help. Polywork scoured the internet to offer up the reads, views, and thought-provoking content worth your attention.
Considering new narratives around work
Do the jobs described in Anna Wiener’s Uncanny Valley, or Michael Lewis’s Liar’s Poker echo today’s work experiences? Writer Bryony Lau contends that the answer is an emphatic “no”. With so much change in the ways we think and practice work, she proposes that it could be time to revisit the traditional work memoir and, in turn, build a new narrative for millennials and future generations.
Source: Literary Hub
Yes, Gen Z and Millennials do read (and pay for) news
Yes, you’ve read it correctly — 60% of people younger than 40 already pay for or donate to news in some way. That said, there is an age-donate correlation overall, according to recent research from the American Press Institute.
In all, 51% of Gen Z (16- to 24-year-olds) pay for or donate to news. “The numbers suggest a real potential for sustainable revenue — if news organizations, whether legacy or start-up, can create content Millennials and Gen Zers find valuable.”
Source: American Press Institute
How influencer parents are affecting their children
What was once thought to be a worthwhile trade-off between financial benefit and family overexposure among social media influencers is now in question.
“...the intimate details of their lives, from videos of them as crying children to footage of a parent disciplining them – are shared and sometimes monetized without their explicit consent.”
Source: Teen Vogue
Bare minimum Mondays gaining steam?
Catchy wordplay or a major trend in the making? A work strategy one person used to mitigate burnout and stress, known as “bare minimum Mondays” appears to have gone viral among a wide swath of generations seeking a reprieve from a case of the “Sunday Scaries”.
“On a Bare Minimum Monday, I don't take meetings and take it slow for the first two hours. I'll do some reading, some journaling, maybe some stuff around the house. It's two hours of no technology — no checking email — just doing whatever I need to do to feel good starting my day.”
Source: Business Insider
A bet on social media to deliver news (+watch)
The News Movement has been around since 2020, but recently, their strategy is attracting more attention than ever. They’re attempting to capitalize on the excitement and intrigue around monetizing the ways Gen Z consumes content, betting that a multi-channel audience wants the news, but delivered where they are — places like TikTok and Twitter. Therefore, they’ve employed a team averaging the age of 25 to make consumable content to attract (and keep) the attention of their audiences.
“The first three seconds are everything on YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikTok, and we focus a lot on what we can do in those first three seconds – what’s the emotion, what are the sounds, what’s the visual, etc. Our completion rates are high compared to the broader averages, and we also look at how we can engage within the comment sections as well. That’s key,” says Ramin Beheshti, Co-Founder, The News Movement.
Source: What's New in Publishing
Polywork reads: Honorable mentions
- 16 workplace fears, according to every generation (Employee Benefit News)
- Gen Z is bringing the optimism on gender equity. Companies need to keep up (World Economic Forum)