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Twenty years on, pumpkin spice still has a hold on autumn (and America)

Sep 26, 2023
"It's just sort of become part of the fabric of our lives. It's now vanilla and chocolate and peppermint... and pumpkin spice," says food writer Emily Heil.
Unlike short-lived food fads, pumpkin spice has hung on for 20 years.
Edward Berthelot/Getty Images

Meta readies new Twitter challenger

Jul 5, 2023
Threads, the new social media platform created by the owner of Instagram and Facebook, launches Thursday.
The Threads app is looking to push Twitter off its perch.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Ads on social media are exceptionally good at getting us to click "buy"

"In the past, we've studied social media ads as if they're just like a billboard or a print magazine ad when they're not," said advertising professor Matthew Pittman. "You're seeing an ad from any number of sources."
On Instagram or in other social media feeds, "you're seeing an ad from any number of sources right after you might see a video or a post from your ex from high school or a new celebrity training fitness routine," said the University of Tennessee's Matthew Pittman.
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images

How people are making six figures a year through Instagram Reels

Jan 13, 2023
Many of the videos show creators reacting to a filter that generates a random answer to questions like "What Disney princess are you?"
"Instagram really wanted people to create material from the features that already existed on the site," says Jacob Sweet, who writes for The New Yorker.
Chris Delmas/AFP via Getty Images

Is traveling to Instagram-famous vacation spots ever worth the money?

Oct 18, 2022
"You'll have so much more fun going somewhere else that is more catered to you," says Rebecca Jennings of Vox.
Don't limit your travel research to Instagram.
Filippo Monteforte/AFP via Getty Images

How companies create and take advantage of viral TikTok trends

Sep 1, 2022
Companies pay influencers to use their products on TikTok, hoping that the videos will go viral and drive purchases.
Companies pay influencers on TikTok to promote their products in videos.
Philippe Lopez/AFP via Getty Images

This fourth-generation farmer cultivates new ideas

Aug 23, 2022
Amber Balakian went "to college thinking, 'I'm going to do something else and get away from everything.' I actually ended up coming back."
Amber Balakian, a co-owner of Balakian Farms in Fresno, California. "It's not always easy to make those changes ... but I think it's worth it in the end,” she says.
Ariana Velazquez

For public good, not for profit.

What Instagram's pivot to video means for artists on the platform

Aug 4, 2022
Some creators who depend on the app for their livelihoods may have to adapt their marketing methods.
It can be challenging for creators who rely on the app economically to transform how they market their work.
Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images

The business of Shein, the fast-fashion brand that's dominating Gen Z's closets

May 6, 2022
The apparel maker was recently valued at $100 billion, more than competitors Zara and H&M combined.
Katy Perry speaks during a Shein virtual festival to benefit the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for WHO on May 9, 2020.
Getty Images/Getty Images for Shein

How an Instagram joke turned into a matchmaking business

Apr 22, 2022
Olivia Atwood's venture was inspired by a Netflix reality show. Now it serves about 2,000 people and has led to several yearslong relationships.
Olivia Atwood at a startup conference in Arizona last year, where her business won the Rookie of the Year award.
Courtesy Olivia Atwood