Trendsspeaking topic
Starbucks marketed itself as the 'third place,' then started rapidly pushing lingerers out the door. Can a corporation sell 'community,' or was belonging bought with money fake from the very start?
— video essay
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- Aesthetic moodboards turned lifestyles into how-to videos: a step-by-step guide to living like dark academia. Does turning an identity into a teachable recipe make it accessible, or soulless?
- A song made you cry, and then you learned an AI composed it. Are your tears now fake? Can emotion be real independent of the intent that produced it, or does the knowledge that 'no one felt this for me' take the feeling back?
- Nostalgia marketing: why are companies bringing back their old logos and vintage packaging? How did our longing for the past turn into a sales tool?
- AI slop is the new name for machine-generated content that nobody really made for anybody. What happens to an internet where most content is produced this way?
- How did the fear of being cringe restrict an entire generation? People avoid new hobbies, dancing, showing enthusiasm because they might look embarrassing. Is the pressure to stay cool making us emotionless?