👺 WTF is goblin mode?

PLUS: March Madness is back. March 17, 2022 [The Hustle] In case you’ve been wondering what Mike Tyson has been up to, he’s been keeping busy in the cannabis space. His company, Tyson 2.0, just released Mike Bites, a cannabis gummy shaped like an ear with a bite taken out of it. Who knew Mike Tyson was a marketing genius? In today’s email: - Goblin mode: What the f**k does that even mean? - Chart: The US hit a record number of $1m+ homes. - March Madness: Wild money behind the tourney. - Around the web: Trusting your gut, a relaxing driving simulator, and more cool internet finds. 🎧 On the go? [Listen to today’s 10-minute podcast]( to hear about hackers getting hacked, an eyeball-scanning crypto startup, Netflix vs. password sharing, interest rate increases, and more. The big idea [goblin gif]( What the heck is ‘goblin mode’? The pandemic has changed our habits in a lot of ways. Some people are wearing more sweats. Some are showering less. Some are watching a little more Netflix than they used to. Then there are the ones scouring Reddit until 4am while eating fistfuls of raw pasta as a snack. That, my friends, is an example of “goblin mode,” which, according to The Guardian, has become the [new normal]( for many. Goblin mode… … can be described as a full-on rejection of self-betterment. The phrase first appeared on Twitter in 2009, and [spiked in popularity]( in February when a headline incorrectly attributed it to Uncut Gems actress Julia Fox, who was dating Kanye West at the time. Some examples of goblin mode include: - Mindlessly binging reality TV shows while scrolling social media - Pouring the end of a bag of chips into your mouth - Wandering into your kitchen at 2am and making weird snacks (e.g., saltines with melted cheese) In other words, goblin mode is all about embracing your inner slob, and relishing in socially unacceptable behavior. Why is goblin mode blowing up? One reason is its direct opposition to more conventional internet aesthetics — AKA presenting one’s best self online. For example: - Cottagecore: A stylized Instagram aesthetic that thrived early in the pandemic featuring pastel colors and elements of country life (e.g., baking and embroidery) - #thatgirl: A popular TikTok aesthetic embraced by influencers who obsess over self improvement (e.g., waking up at 5am to make a green smoothie) A simpler reason? The pandemic has dragged on, and people are losing their sh*t cutting themselves some slack. In a way, goblin mode is a form of self-love — which, ironically, is one of the most powerful paths to self-betterment. The return to the office… … poses a serious threat to the goblin lifestyle. Many workers are being forced to do things they haven’t done in years, like talk to people face-to-face and dress presentably. If you find yourself needing to brush up on your social skills, NYT’s got you [covered](. Just remember, there’s nothing wrong with letting out your inner goblin every once in a while. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=What+the+heck+is+%E2%80%98goblin+mode%E2%80%99%3F%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F03172022-goblin-mode%3Futm_campaign%3DGoblin%2Bmode%26utm_content%3D03172022-goblin-mode%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( SNIPPETS Rising rates: The Federal Reserve [approved]( an interest rate hike for the 1st time in 3+ years. This hike increased rates by 0.25 percentage points, but the Fed says there will be 6 more hikes in 2022. NFTs on the ‘gram: Mark Zuckerberg [confirmed]( that NFTs are coming to Instagram soon, and hinted that users will be able to mint NFTs in Instagram as well. TV rules: Recent analysis of Netflix top 10 lists [found]( 75% of the top 10 is made up of TV shows, and that Netflix hits rarely last longer than 2 weeks. Spotify stadium: Spotify [bought]( the naming rights to Camp Nou, the venue where FC Barcelona plays, for $310m. The stadium will henceforth be known as Spotify Camp Nou. Bad buzz: ~80 current and former BuzzFeed employees [claim]( they were shortchanged during the IPO, after not being allowed to sell shares at higher prices. The breakup business: The Trends team analyzed how to ethically [cater,]([pamper, and serve]( the brokenhearted. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hey — enjoy getting quick updates on what you care about? Take [20 seconds]( to personalize your Snippets. Pick your preferences👇 and we’ll send you more of what you love. Boom. [Personalize my Email →]( Close your ears, Cali [cities with $1m+ homes]( Singdhi Sokpo The US hit a record number of $1m+ homes In February 2020, the number of US homes worth $1m+ was 4.8%. Last month, that number was 8.2%, per [Redfin](. The jump was most notable in the Golden State, which never fails to live up to its name: - 7 of the top 10 metro areas with the highest share of $1m+ homes are in California. - Almost 9-in-10 homes in San Francisco and San Jose are listed for $1m+. (Even this [fixer-upper]( sold for $2m.) - Anaheim saw a 28% jump in its share of $1m+ homes. Why’s this happening? According to Redfin, low mortgage rates and covid trends led to a 50% drop in the number of homes for sale despite high demand. The good news — there’s always Elgin, Illinois, where the share of $1m+ homes has grown just 0.1%. That’s lower than anywhere else. [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=The+US+hit+a+record+number+of+%241m%2B+homes%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F03172022-1-million-homes%3Futm_campaign%3DGoblin%2Bmode%26utm_content%3D03172022-1-million-homes%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( Free Resource New companies, innovators, and challenges… … every week. We’re in there. Jacob Goldstein, former host of Planet Money, leads Pushkin Industries’ new podcast into the stories of how really smart people are finessing their problems and paving new paths. He’s an author and journalist. We like his attitude, and the timbre of his voice. Incoming topics from [What’s Your Problem?]( by Pushkin Industries - How do you convince people to buy a house on the internet? - How do you take a drone delivery service you’ve built in Rwanda and make it fly in North Carolina? - How do you sell thousands of dog ramps to wiener dogs across America when a pandemic breaks the global supply chain? Hear Goldstein illuminate and entertain on topics you didn’t know you’d love. [Listen now →]( How much is a Final Four worth? [basketball image]( The economics of March Madness March Madness begins today. While the nation collectively cheers for an upset of the Duke men’s basketball team in the 1st round, here are 5 data points that explain the economics of the NCAA Tournament: - $613m: Total NCAA [payouts]( to the conferences of men’s tournament participants in 2021, out of ~$800m in NCAA revenue from hosting the tournament. - $2m: The approximate [payout](for a men’s team that made the tournament in 2021, a payout made to each team’s conference in ~$337k increments [over 6 years](. For every win in the tournament until the Final Four, a team earns its conference another ~$2m. A Final Four team makes ~$10m, paid over 6 years. - $35m: The [gap in spending]( on the NCAA Tournament between the men’s and women’s tournaments in 2019. In a [viral video](, the University of Oregon’s Sedona Prince shamed the NCAA into providing more resources for women’s players, though the NCAA [declined]( to specify how much they have closed the financial gap this year. - $3B: The [expected sum]( of legal bets on this year’s men’s tournament, per gambling news source PlayUSA. - Priceless? What is it worth to have an Australian movie star on your side? The University of Iowa is about to find out because, for some random connection to the school’s coach, Hugh Jackman made [a video]( telling the Iowa basketball team to “crush it.” [Share on Facebook]( [Share on Twitter]( [Send as email to a friend](mailto:?subject=The%20Hustle%20wrote%20something%20I%20think%20you%27ll%20like...%0A&body=The+economics+of+March+Madness%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthehustle.co%2F03172022-March-Madness%3Futm_campaign%3DGoblin%2Bmode%26utm_content%3D03172022-March-Madness%26utm_medium%3Demail%26utm_source%3Ddaily%0A%0AYou%20can%20subscribe%20with%20my%20link%20here%20to%20get%20the%20latest%20in%20tech%20and%20business%20daily:%0A [View on our website]( AROUND THE WEB ☘️ On this day: In 1601, the 1st St. Patrick’s Day [parade]( was held in a Spanish colony in what is now St. Augustine, Florida. The colony’s vicar was Irish. 📻 Cure boredom: [Drive & Listen]( simulates cruising through cities across the globe, complete with local radio stations and street noise. 💸 That’s interesting: Behind Amazon, Facebook Marketplace is the 2nd-largest marketplace in the world. Here’s the [inside story]( of how it came to be, from the woman who built it. 💰 How to: Why your gut feelings are important and [how to]( lean into them. 🇺🇦 That’s cool: The [1K Project for Ukraine]( allows people to instantly donate $1k to a family in Ukraine, no middlemen. It was founded by Alex Iskold, a Ukrainian-American VC who previously raised $3m for families during the pandemic in the same way. 🐈 Aww: And now, a [prairie dog]( and its cat. Meme of the day [meme] Valid defense. (Source: [Twitter]() SHARE THE HUSTLE Hey. Stop keeping us a secret. Refer just 3 people and we’ll start to send some goodies as a thank you. [My First Million ebook]( Spread the news. Help us grow 🌱 [Share The Hustle 🤠→]( Or copy this custom referral link: [ Your referral count: 0 How did you like today’s email? Today's email was brought to you by [Jacob Cohen](, [Juliet Bennett Rylah](, [Rob Litterst](. Editing by: Mark “Goblin mode forever” Dent. [PODCAST]( [JOBS]( [CONTACT US](mailto:news@thehustle.co) [Facebook]( [Youtube]( [Instagram]( [Trends]( 25 FIRST ST. 2ND FLOOR, CAMBRIDGE, MA 02141, UNITED STATES  +1 888 482 7768 Never want to hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](list=thehustle). [The Hustle](