In this week’s Our Take, Gen Z flirts offline, burnout inspires brain-split fantasies, sperm goes sport mode, and dogs get called out for snack lies.
HINGE HELP BUILD IRL CONNECTIONS
Remember when Gen Z swore off dating apps in 2024 and boldly declared they’d find love “in the wild” (thank you, Dazed, for the perfect phrasing)? Well, the sentiment was real but the execution? Let’s just say social skills are a little rusty after years of Covid-induced hermit life.
Despite a genuine hunger for face-to-face sparks, many Gen Zers are finding it seriously daunting to walk up to someone and start a conversation without a curated profile or a gas meme as backup. The big 2025 challenge for dating apps is now clear: how do you turn digital intent into real-world chemistry?
Hinge is on this journey with One More Hour, a $1M global initiative now hitting the UK. Instead of just pushing more matches, Hinge is putting its money where its heart is, funding in-person social events that actually get people talking (and hopefully flirting) offline.
Connection isn’t dead, but it needs a little coaxing, and maybe a free drink or two. By creating environments where belonging is the main currency, not endless swipes, Hinge is helping Gen Z re-learn the lost art of organic connection.
Finding love should be a little messy, a little awkward, and a lot more human. Algorithms got us here. Real life will get us further.
Is Your Dog a Little Liar? Pedigree Thinks So.
Dogs are many things – loyal, adorable, occasionally chaotic – but honest? Not quite. According to Pedigree and their partners at Colenso BBDO, your pooch might just be fibbing their way to a second breakfast. Enter the Pedigree Lie Detector: a tongue-in-cheek invention designed to expose our furry friends’ manipulative munchie tactics and tackle the serious problem of pet obesity.
69% of Australian dogs are now overweight or obese and while that’s no laughing matter, Pedigree’s new tech aims to take on the issue with a dose of humour and innovation. Built in collaboration with digital agency Satellite NZ, this voice-activated device clips onto any collar and syncs with an app that monitors your dog’s food intake and exercise routine. It knows how much your dog should be eating based on their breed, size and energy levels and calls them out when they’re begging for snacks they don’t need.
Fancy a bit of drama with your breakfast routine? Ask the device, “Is my dog a liar?” and it will sassily confirm whether your canine companion is telling porkies or genuinely peckish. The app even sends helpful reminders throughout the day. That leftover toast you were about to toss under the table? Yeah, don’t. The Lie Detector sees everything. The next time your dog gives you THAT look, maybe double-check with the Lie Detector before reaching for the treats.
46% of Gen Z want to be severed!
Equal parts sci-fi and worryingly relatable, nearly half of Gen Z say they’d willingly undergo the ‘severance’ procedure made famous by Apple TV+’s eerie hit Severance. According to new research from workplace mental health platform Unmind, 46% of young workers would opt to split their consciousness, creating one self that exists only at work, and another that lives blissfully unaware of office drama.
For those who missed the show (or chose to mentally sever from streaming), Severance explores a dystopian scenario where your work self and home self never meet. No after-hours emails. No 2AM spreadsheet nightmares. Just pure, compartmentalised peace.
Turns out, fiction hit a little too close to home. The study also found that 41% of UK employees struggle to switch off after hours, and 40% are still being contacted by bosses when they’re off the clock. Honestly, no wonder people are fantasising about surgical separation from their inbox.
But beneath the Black Mirror vibes lies a very real insight: modern work culture is broken, and Gen Z – ever the wellness-aware, burnout-averse bunch, aren’t afraid to say it. Unmind’s cheeky yet sobering campaign uses pop culture to spotlight a very present issue: the need for boundaries that don’t require brain surgery.
Severance might be fiction, but the desire to disconnect? All too real.
Self-care, but make it dystopian.
Gen Z Millionaires Turn Male Fertility Into a SPERMtaculous Sport
In a move that’s as bizarre as it is bold, a group of Gen Z crypto millionaires are hosting what might be the strangest event of the year – Sperm Racing. Yes, you read that right. These young entrepreneurs are putting male fertility on display in a live-streamed competition where university students’ sperm samples will literally race through a uterus-like track, complete with leaderboards and commentary.
Backed by $1.5 million in funding, the event is happening on April 25 at the Hollywood Palladium, and the goal (or at least, the stated goal) is to get people talking about male fertility in a fun, attention-grabbing way. According to the founders, it’s all about turning male fertility into something people actually want to track and improve.
While the event’s unconventional approach may leave some scratching their heads, the fact that fertility is being brought into the spotlight is undeniable. Whether or not sperm races are the solution to breaking the taboo around male fertility, one thing’s for sure: this SPERMtaculous competition is going to leave a lasting impression.