Table of Contents
Inevitably, more such situations will arise under the Trump administration, and I’m curious to see if any of Musk’s supporters end up abandoning ship.
Direct carriers
The act of dropshipping (third-party sellers fulfilling retail orders) became very popular in the late 2010s, becoming an essential part of online hustle culture. With the introduction of TikTok Shop, dropshipping has entered a renaissance of sorts, with more and more people using the app to make quick money that can scale.
Imposing strict tariffs on Chinese imports was one of Trump’s biggest economic promises this election cycle. If TikTok is not banned next month, Chinese tariffs could ruin the app’s dropshipping profitability since most of the product’s manufacturing is done overseas. What about drop-shippers? Where are they going now?
The New Jersey Drone Hunters
Without much guidance or information from the government, conspiracy theories surrounding the mysterious drones supposedly flying over the East Coast have gotten out of control. Just this week, real housewives Star Bethenny Frankel posted a Instagram video series claiming to have a secret source in the Pentagon who told him that drones are searching for nuclear material.
Now, I don’t claim to know the truth about drones, but I can see what they are doing to people online. For the past few weeks, I’ve been monitoring one of the largest Facebook pages dedicated to solving the mystery, and what started as a place for people to share their strange sightings has descended into hysteria. Members accuse mods of working for the feds, hiding the “truth” (whatever that may be), and encouraging others to invest in iodine pills, gas masks, and, of course, toilet paper.
It’s too early to tell, but I bet these groups are presenting already emotional and agitated people with theories they wouldn’t otherwise believe. Is this what the alien and UAP communities have been waiting for? Maybe! In any case, don’t expect the faithful to believe anything the government says unless someone places an alien corpse in front of photographers.
The chat room
For last week’s podcast, we made some predictions about what the new year will bring. What do you think will happen next year regarding technology and its influence on politics? Send your thoughts to mail@wired.com.
Wired readings
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What else are we reading?
🔗 FTC issues rules requiring hotels, ticket sellers to disclose ‘junk fees’: There is at least one political victory we can all celebrate this holiday season. This week, the Federal Trade Commission published new rules prohibiting hotels and ticketing services from hiding additional charges or “junk fees.” (The Washington Post)
🔗 ‘It will be brutal’: inside Trump’s planned war against leaks and the press: The Trump administration is reportedly making new plans to go after the media, including more lawsuits and threats of subpoenas. (rolling stone)
🔗 Elon Musk and SpaceX face federal reviews after violations of safety reporting rules: The US government is reviewing whether Elon Musk and SpaceX have repeatedly ignored disclosure protocols that protect state secrets, such as withholding information related to meetings with foreign leaders. (The New York Times)
The download
When the newsletter came out last week, the latest episode of WIRED Policy Lab The podcast had not uploaded. If you didn’t understand the conversation I had with Tim Marchman and David Gilbert, I recommend listening to it. here.
After the election, I’m reconsidering how the newsletter best serves everyone. If you have any ideas or requests, please let me know. Otherwise, I’ll spend the holidays completely offline, so you won’t see me arriving in your inboxes again until January 9th.
I hope you find time to rest, read, and spend time with your loved ones. I’ll see you in the new year. 💞
That’s all for today. Thanks again for subscribing. You can contact me by email, instagram, unknownand Signal at makenakelly.32.