Nieman Foundation at Harvard
HOME
          
LATEST STORY
BREAKING: The ways people hear about big news these days; “into a million pieces,” says source
ABOUT                    SUBSCRIBE
Oct. 21, 2016, 11:54 a.m.
Audience & Social
LINK: tinyletter.com  ➚   |   Posted by: Laura Hazard Owen   |   October 21, 2016

Let’s be honest: There is probably no amount of puppy Vines or ducks-on-a-plane that can distract you from anxiety over this election season, if you are an anxious kind of person. But if you’re at least game for trying to make yourself feel a little better, even for only a couple of minutes, there’s a newsletter for that.

Bouncy Castle was launched this week by Sami Main, the digital media reporter at Adweek; artist-architect-playwright Jonathan Sun, whose Twitter persona is an “aliebn confuesed abot humamn lamgauge”; Josh Gondelman, a comedian and writer for Last Week Tonight With John Oliver; and @darth, the beloved, anonymous Twitter user and Photoshop genius. (@darth is also anonymous to their newsletter co-creators.)

There’s only been one issue of Bouncy Castle so far, but it’s racked up nearly 2,000 subscribers in the week since it launched. “I think it’s really because folks need something fun and light to hold onto while we struggle through the rest of 2016,” Main said. She decided to start the newsletter on October 14, spurred by “just a growing general sadness that felt like it was seeping into everyone all over. So we just kind of wanted to combat that as kindly as possible.” She started a group DM, proposed the idea, and they were off.

“These folks are some of the most positive and genuine people I know on Twitter,” Main said, “so I figured we’d make a good team to fight the evils of the world.”

Here, for instance, is @darth’s contribution to the newsletter this week:

there are so many great maple and trench vines with videos like this one that has just enough cowbell:

https://vine.co/v/OQqxU7KFzKY

and this one with nobel laureate bob dylan:

https://vine.co/v/i9b1KhPBMzj

but for this, our first tinyletter, and this crazy week we all need a few seconds to relax and i think this one is relaxing so, if u are stressed and need some thing to calm yourself but u do not have a lot of time u should just watch this one:

https://vine.co/v/5iq1g75APlZ

and if u need something to really calm yourself, and have a bit more time, then just lie back and listen to this longer version. no i am serious take the time u deserve it:

The creators submit to Main and she compiles the newsletter. Readers, too, may send their submissions to dumpsterfirefighters@gmail.com.

Show tags
 
Join the 60,000 who get the freshest future-of-journalism news in our daily email.
BREAKING: The ways people hear about big news these days; “into a million pieces,” says source
The New York Times and the Washington Post compete with meme accounts for the chance to be first with a big headline.
In 1924, a magazine ran a contest: “Who is to pay for broadcasting and how?” A century later, we’re still asking the same question
Radio Broadcast received close to a thousand entries to its contest — but ultimately rejected them all.
You’re more likely to believe fake news shared by someone you barely know than by your best friend
“The strength of weak ties” applies to misinformation, too.