THING TO DO TODAY

THINGS TO KNOW

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EDUCATION: It’s time to use your Google. We get a lot of information thrown our way, and with theories about everything from the now 100-day war in Ukraine to what really went down between Amber and Johnny, it’s getting hard to tell what’s real. Just look at a 2019 study that said 86% (!) of people believed fake news online; and this year, over 1/3 unintentionally shared it. Those stats have led to the now ubiquitous phrase: Do your own research—which sounds harmless until you realize our research skills have gotten real rusty since college. (Like, what even is a reference?) So now, it’s way too easy to fall into a cycle of mistaking a Twitter scroll as DYOR-ing, leading to things like widespread vaccine hesitancy and Americans losing $1 billion to crypto scams. Even when we mean well, a few bad articles can start a spiral from, “What should I know about Ethereum?” to a sudden mistrust in the US Federal Reserve. In the worst-case scenario, we’d drop all our cash into e-coins because of the “beginner’s bubble,” aka when we feel like experts on a topic after learning 1% of it from a 2-minute TikTok. Of course, the alternative of just believing what Facebook tells us off the jump isn't great either—especially when it comes to important topics like who to vote for. So while your fav IG-er’s recommendation isn’t enough, what you could do is see if their sources pass Google’s 3-dot check. Librarian Jessica Pryde also suggests getting a library card so you can access online databases from legit journals. A deep dive on infrastructure from a Harvard scholar? Pretty strong. A lung health study from Marlboro? H-e-double hockey sticks no.

YOU FAKE NEWS, YOU LOSE

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CAREER: Take a 4. Over 3k British employees across 70 companies have just begun the largest office experiment ever: a Mon-Thurs work week. Ran by not-for-profit 4 Day Week Global in partnership with thinktank Autonomy, participants in careers from finance to fast food will receive 100% of their pay for only 80% of the hours. (Work smarter and shorter, right?) One of the managers involved, Sienna O’Rourke, says the goal is to “improve the mental health and well-being of its employees.” And considering a similar project was a huge success in Iceland (read: 0% drop in productivity), we have a good feeling about this one. (Psst US execs, you listening? 👀)
 
ENTERTAINMENT: Fast fashion is getting mugged off. After a 3-year run with the quick ‘fits brand I Saw It First, Love Island UK is recoupling with eBay to dress contestants in sexy secondhand wardrobes. Viewers will also be able to find similar pre-owned items on the show’s app. And since it’s basically a given for the villa vixens to become the face of a brand post-finale, we’re hoping this new partnership will promote better shopping habits for the Casa Amor stans at home. TBH, we always fancy a quality hand-me-down over a 2-piece that’s gonna tear in a month anyway.
 
MONEY: Beyoncé, meet BNPL. Buy now, pay later plans were once a sweet dream, but now they’re slowly becoming a beautiful nightmare for Gen Zers. 925% more of them have used the layaway-like services since Jan 2020—likely because of the pressure to keep up with a new #[insert]core every month. But unfortunately, 43% of users have missed a payment, and many companies charge late fees or interest on leftover balances. So, here are some tips to use BNPL responsibly: 1) Instead of, “Can I drop $84 on this haul today?” ask, “Can I drop $700 over 2 months?” If the answer to that 2nd question is no, clear your cart. 2) Factor your payments into your budget and set reminders so you don’t forget! 3) And this one is hard—try not to get sucked into what’s “trending,” because your style will always be in, we promise.

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