Thorns Have Roses
Thorns Have Roses
The future of data-driven shopping + real life superheroes
This week, Christina and Anurag discuss how influencer and data-driven shopping apps have supercharged e-commerce around the world. Christina takes the example of fast fashion to illustrate how new technologies and parasocial relationships with influencers have been accelerating trends and consumption. They also discuss other ways influencers create desire in consumers, which Chinese apps like Shein, TikTok, Taobao Live and Xiaohongshu have mastered.
Anurag talks about real life superheroes, people who don a costume and solve problems in society. He focuses on Mexican and other Latin American superheroes and the kinds of problems they solve and how they’re fundamentally different from those we read about in comic books and movies.
Links:
Shein ad
Viya livestream with a C-pop star guest (to see how she sells products)
Chinese farmers streaming their produce
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Super Barrio’s Wikipedia article
Video clip of Super Barrio leading a protest
Real Life Superhero Wiki (tracks current superheroes)