A year of Gen Z Translator
A year of Gen Z Translator
I launched my first newsletter on Sept. 1, 2023
Welcome to Gen Z Translator. If you’re new, you can subscribe here and follow me on Threads or X. Views are my own. Happy reading!
Wow! In the hubbub of a holiday weekend, the daily news cycle, and exciting personal developments, I missed the fact that I’ve been writing Gen Z Translator for a year! So, I’m a couple days late, but I still wanted to celebrate.
If you’ve been here since then (or around then), you’ll know I’ve been through it. I started Gen Z Translator as a form of distraction for myself, but also as an outlet to do what I love – write. I saw a missed opportunity in the arts and entertainment industry to add context between established generations and an up-and-coming generation.
With this newsletter, I’m able to share a glimpse into my interests, from pop culture news to internet explainers – which other members of Gen Z might also enjoy – while still considering my readers who may not be in the know. I’ve always aimed for Gen Z Translator to be a bridge.
Meme Monday is really the crux of this initiative. I find documenting digital trends incredibly interesting. How do we preserve history as it happens? What happens to the things that never get coverage? I want Gen Z Translator to participate in this documentation, to be a result that shows up when someone has a question.
My goal for my newsletter came to fruition when my very demure meme explainer was referenced. Really, being used a source is the greatest honor I could get. I also want to say a big thank you to Substacks like Hiring Gen Z, The Social Juice, and The Intellectual Investor who recommend me on their profiles.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my Friday editions as well, able to cover trending online news topics like this Club Chalamet fan account piece, a “Five Nights at Freddy’s” ten-year anniversary round-up, and this copypasta explainer. My interests are niche, and a little nerdy, but I think that’s what makes my newsletter so special. Where else can you read about the “Alien” franchise and Chappell Roan within a week of each other?
I’m sure someone out there has thought, “Rachel, how long can you keep up this Gen Z shtick?” Unlucky for you, I will always be a member of Gen Z, so I’ll keep up the schtick until I get tired or get hired to do it professionally.
I’ve thought about how I might expand Gen Z Translator, which would involve increasing my content production, but I’m not ready to monetize/not sure if I would monetize, so this would be hard to commit to. I’m playing around with adding “Tunes Tuesday,” to give myself a dedicated space to talk about recent music releases without wasting a Friday edition on it. I would also love to have a social media section at some point.
Unfortunately, I have responsibilities outside this newsletter. I still have too many doctors appointments for comfort. I started a new job, and I’m pursuing a Masters in digital audience strategy at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications. I’ve also been doing some freelance writing for Business Insider and The Washington Post.
Despite everything that’s happened over the past year – new diagnoses, moving states, chemotherapy, canceled flights, and therapy appointments, just to name a few – I’m finding joy in what I do. I think back to my first post “I thought I would hate Spotify's AI DJ. Turns out, I don't,” and remember how nervous I was to launch. What did I have to offer that other people didn’t?
The answer? There’s only one person with the exact same experiences, interests, and motivations as me. Me. If life’s taught me anything lately, it’s that time is precious, so you should spend it doing what you enjoy. For me, that’s writing my weird little stories. Thanks for humoring me. Thank you for letting me share my words with you. Thank you for reading.
If you’ve found this newsletter entertaining or informative in the slightest, I would love it if you could tell a friend about Gen Z Translator. This will help me know it’s worth continuing to put my energy into. And if there’s anything you want to see, please let me know in the comments!
All my best,
Rachel
If you’re interested in what Gen Z Translator offers, you can read about it here.