A Dim-Witnessed Adult’s Guide to Kids’ Culture: What Is a Matcha Tea Strainer?
This episode has it all: the untamed spirit of internet perverts, a music genre named for its awfulness, slang that doesn’t originate in African-American Vernacular English, and a couple of YouTubers who made more money than Star Wars . As always, I’ve done the extremely inappropriate work of researching all of this so you don’t have to. You’re welcome.
What is a matcha tea filter?
TikTok is serious about preventing people from using its service to show off their body parts, but the ingenuity of perverts shouldn’t be underestimated. Meet the “Matcha” filter. Officially called “Whispers of the Wild,” but unofficially named for the thick, hazy green tint it imposes on videos, the “Matcha” filter debuted on TikTok a few weeks ago, and users quickly discovered that it bypasses the platform’s nudity filters. Here’s a non-nude video demonstrating it in action:
The use of the “match” filter is mentioned in the comments of these videos, and TikTok’s moderation team is working hard in a never-ending game of whack-a-mole to prevent nudity, so don’t be surprised if by the time you read this, the filter has been “fixed.” Such is the rhythm of moderation: someone discovers a vulnerability in the algorithm; it becomes popular; it’s fixed; and everyone moves on to the next step.
What is UK Poo?
I love obscure musical sub-sub-sub-genres, and none are more obscure than UK Poo. It’s essentially British hip-hop that’s really, really bad. I’ve never heard good British hip-hop, but UK Poo is something else entirely: the very bottom of the cultural garbage heap where Brits try to make hip-hop. Think excessive Auto-Tune, overly complex hi-hat patterns, and “I filmed this in my apartment!” videos. Here’s an example:
This is “Belfast” by D Rebal. It’s bad . Here’s another example: “Slap Me Again” by Savvy. Also bad.
This term was coined by user X @cashyams, and he intended it to be an insult. But it seems to be developing into something deeper than just bad music. People are finding homemade British hip-hop they really like and, for example, calling it “UK Poo,” as you can see in this video:
And then there are people who think they’re clever when they call music “British crap” when it’s clearly a joke they don’t get.
What I especially love is people trying to rehabilitate bad art through remixes. Such kindness!
Did they succeed? No. But at least it got better .
What does “cortisol coded” mean?
The term “cortisol therapy” describes something that’s supposed to be relaxing but actually causes stress, like watching a 5 a.m. morning yoga video performed by a perfectly dressed blogger surrounded by $400 candles. It originates from the TikTok “health” section, where “actual relaxation” has become an epidemic.
Cortisol is one of the hormones our bodies use to manage stress , both mental and physical. When the body is faced with constant threats or health problems, this is a good thing—even life-saving. However, there are also conditions in which too much cortisol can be problematic. Because of its association with stress, “cortisol” has become synonymous with anything stressful. Some TikTok influencers attribute almost all physical ailments to “high cortisol,” which has prompted enterprising individuals to sell supplements designed to reduce cortisol levels that either don’t work or, worse, do. Don’t mess with your endocrine system unless you truly know what you’re doing.
Generation Z is officially taking over the horror genre.
Concerns about how constant internet exposure from birth will impact young people are understandable, but the initial results are already visible, and it appears to be working, at least for horror filmmakers. The horror genre belongs to a pair of Generation Z directors whose talent and sense of style were forged in the crucible of YouTube. Together, Curry Barker and Kane Parsons earned over $800 million from a pair of low-budget horror films this summer.
Barker is 26 years old. A former comedian and film school dropout, Barker made a found-footage YouTube film for $800, and its success led him to make the feature-length film Obsession, which cost less than a million dollars and has grossed a staggering $474 million to date. And it’s really good. You should see it.
Parsons, aka Kane Pixels, directed his first feature film, “Behind the Scenes ,” based on the YouTube series of the same name, which in turn was based on a creepypasta from 4chan. The film was also quite good, although ” Behind the Scenes ” grossed “only” $393 million against a $10 million budget. But Parsons is already 20 years old, so he still has time to catch up.
Viral Video of the Week: “I Never Told You This, But…”
This week’s viral videos are based on a simple premise that opens up endless possibilities, like creating the best meme formats. Here’s how it works: Two friends are sitting next to each other. One says, “I’ve never told you this, but I like you better with…” and then makes an outlandish request (like a weird outfit or unusual props). The video abruptly switches to the second person, who has already made the requested change. They make an even more absurd demand, and things get weirder and weirder. It’s effortless, sometimes funny, and a stark reminder that young people have way too much time on their hands. Here are a few examples: