On May 23, 2021, 2.33 million people tuned into the Billboard Music Awards. This is over 1.25 million fewer viewers than the 2020 show. A month earlier, the Academy Awards dropped by 58% when compared to 2020. In March 2021, the Grammy’s hit a historic low with only 7.88 million viewers.

These are just a few bullet points demonstrating the declining interest in award shows. While television ratings as a whole seem to be dropping, award shows have been disproportionally impacted. Viewers aren’t turning on the ceremonies, but networks still spend big money to bring in talent.

As a culture…

When I graduated from school, I looked at employment with rose-colored glasses. Finally, I was going to be spending my time earning a paycheck rather than building debt. I had my degree, a Master’s in my case, and felt ready to get my feet wet. Then, it didn’t happen right away. I spent about two years trying to get into a decent position. It was a battle to get into the workforce, and the end result didn’t seem like a reward. I landed my first “professional” role and was surprised that this is what I fought for.

Admittedly, “professional” is…

2015 marked a turning point for music. Apple officially launched Apple Music and entered the streaming game. About six years later, they have tens of millions of subscribers worldwide and continue growing at an impressive rate. It’s not a shocker to see Apple perform so well, but the Music app itself still leaves a lot to be desired.

Of course, the core functionality is there. You can stream almost any song your heart desires for the cost of $9.99/month. While this is a huge convenience, most Apple Music subscribers entered the world of digital music years before the service launched…

June 15th will be a big day for California. Businesses can reopen at 100% capacity. Now, this is also the day when officials are issuing relaxed mask regulations. In most settings, both indoors and outdoors, a mask will not be required for fully vaccinated individuals.

This appears to be a huge relief for the millions of California residents. While the state’s reopening trails behind other states, it also provides clarity to people who have been eager to return to normalcy. By this point in time, all Californians aged 16+ are able to get vaccinated. …

Looking for a cool way to insult your friends? You might want to call them “cheugy.” This new term has been all over the internet, and it seems to be a popular way for Gen Z to mock other generations.

If you’ve heard the word, you likely know it rose in popularity thank to TikTok. This slang word has been used to describe an out-of-date trend or the person who follows them. By this point in time, something that was cool in 2015 is now considered cheugy. So if you’re passing your time with a fidget spinner, you’re probably cheugy.

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Fans of Rihanna’s music have been eagerly waiting her ninth album, affectionately called “R9.” It has been a long time since she released new music: over five years since Anti dropped in 2016. The album still receives love, and was recognized as the first album by a Black woman to spend 200 weeks on the Billboard 200.

Clearly, Rihanna has a strong fan base. She’s earned a legacy in the music industry, but she’s currently building an empire elsewhere. In the beauty world Fenty has become one of the biggest names in recent years. Rihanna created the brand with an…

There’s not a lot of places in the worlds where you can find skiing, a waterpark, and new Sketchers under one roof. If this combination excites you, you’re probably familiar with the American Dream mall in New Jersey. While there’s certainly a lot to do inside this mall, its early life has been marred with complications and setbacks.

In a world where e-commerce is replacing brick and mortar stores, the American Dream seeks to reinvent the idea of a shopping mall. The aptly named complex was designed with the idea that malls could offer more than retail experiences. Eventually, this…

As you grow up you get a lot of advice. Often, it comes from people who are decades older and have established a certain level of success. While well-intentioned, there are often areas in life where the advice from an older generation isn’t applicable. These are areas where I have needed to learn from personal experience or closer to my age.

In these areas, your best sources of information might not come from people in positions of power. Parents, bosses, or teachers may not have experienced the world in the same way as you. Generational differences mean the best information…