It could work

Today is #RandomActsofKindnessDay -- a marketing stunt, probably. But SINCE it's for a good cause I'll suspend my disbelief. May I suggest complimenting a stranger? Or calling your mother? Or saying hi to people sitting alone? (Alternately, if those seem too ambitious, you can try occasionally glancing up from your phone.)

1. Up close and personal with a generation that's growing up on Tumblr. They're savvy, performative, self-aware -- and pretty entrepreneurial. These kids understand virality better than literally anyone else. Maybe because to them it's integral not just to their living, but to their sense of self.

2. In the battle of online mobs vs. the law, the online mob has won. There's still little the legal system can or will do for victims of online harassment -- which is why one of Gamergate's primary targets is walking away from it.

3. Inside the profitable (and emotional!) world of Instagram-famous pets. They are the least demanding celebrities and the most loyal brand reps. That is until the time of their (typically untimely) deaths. :(

How your GIFs get made:
me (3:43 PM): panda or seal?
Jason: seal kiss from a rose
me: not the kinda seal we're dealing with but it could work
(link)

Postscripts: Novels without words. Campaign ads as arcade games. Fashion shoots in Silicon Valley seem both pointless and inane. Can Kanye West save Tidal? (Eh.) Does Twitter matter? (No.) Four lessons from Neopets and 21 fan fics you should know. Where your iPhone goes to die. Why so many websites are so ugly. The 1st Amendment doesn't protect your right to post all the things, actually! How Instagram has changed museums and how it's changed tattoos. Last but not least, a sobering illustration of fake refugee news.

See ya tomorrow!
@caitlindewey

Do you like this newsletter? Please send it to a friend! If you don't like this newsletter, please send it to an enemy. If you have questions or feedback, hit "reply" to talk to me.