Welcome to this week’s edition ofCulture Wire, a newsletter brought to you by Singapore-based pop culture and lifestyle marketing agency Culture Group.
In this week’s edition:
Headline of the Week: Start the year strong by friction-maxxing
Fax, No Printer: What 'flaw' has become a status symbol thanks to Taylor Swift?
Before You Leave: Stranger Things, luxury discounts, SEA consumer sentiment and more...
HEADLINE OF THE WEEK
📚 STRANGER THAN FRICTION
Two weeks into 2026, and everyone is cashing their circle-back dues. Going from 0 to 100 has some people experiencing functional freeze and sleepwalking their way through daily activities. But the new year gives us a chance to reset, and to decide on what type of energy to face new opportunities with.
Might we suggest friction-maxxing? This approach is the polar opposite of seeking out another algorithm or subscription service to nominally ease the load. Instead of reducing friction, you increase it. This could mean instead of going to ChatGPT, you look up recipes in the cookbooks you’ve perpetually used as coffee table books. Or instead of adding shows to your Netflix queue (which just turn into backlog), you catch a movie at the local cinema. The key is to embrace doing these small tasks “the old way”, and to build a tolerance for the analog.
💡 OUR TAKE
We recognize the irony of the term. The suffix -maxxing implies ruthless optimization at all costs, with its roots in game theory and plenty of misuse by incels (see “looksmaxxing”). Friction is usually not appreciated–isn’t the purpose of all these superapps and tools to free up time for us to do something more meaningful?
And that’s precisely the goal - the search for meaning. Being timepoor and resource-stretched drove us to these apps and services in the first place. But the more we got swept up in an aggressively digital landscape, the easier it was to lose sight of what feels important and meaningful. The instant gratification of having all types of content available online at your fingertips is one thing, but it can now feel fleeting. For a while, “IRL” was considered too much work (e.g. the point of using a delivery app is so you don’t have to speak to a human being), but IRL can bring more tangible, longer-lasting significance, especially in the form of community. Previously dismissed as quaint, community gatherings in the form of knitting clubs and reading groups are back in trend - even “bookmaxxing” is a thing.
Brands have a special opportunity here. People strive to create meaning for themselves, to be inspired and have something spark within them, and brands can do just that through IRL experiences. This is especially successful in more analog, more in-person activations. The opening of The Library by BookXcess (the ‘X’ is no coincidence?) in Kuala Lumpur, Southeast Asia’s largest 24-hour bookstore (that also functions as a library), aims to be a beloved community space. On the other end of the spectrum, as a counter to the trends of people drinking and clubbing less, an establishment inspired by the Japanese host club has opened in Singapore. Male staff sing and engage in conversation with the clientele, who are demographically varied but are all seeking attention and the human touch.
Maybe 2026 is the year of big feelings? Trend predictions already spotlight playful creative swings. As brands build out their strategies, just be mindful not to make your consumers feel like they’re just another thing to be -maxxed.
FAX, NO PRINTER*
For those of you born before 1997, 'fax, no printer' is Gen Z speak for 'undeniable facts I agree with'
What ‘flaw’ has become a status symbol thanks to Taylor Swift?
Scroll to the end of the newsletter for the correct answer!
BEFORE YOU LEAVE...
Check out our curated list of must-read articles from the past week
While brands and Swifties prepare for The Wedding of the Year 💒, the natural-diamond industry is already reaping the rewards of Taylor Swift’s nuptials. In an era when lab-grown diamonds have surged in popularity on cost and ethics grounds, Swift’s ring goes in the opposite direction: a natural, antique old mine cut diamond (this means it was mined and cut in the 18th or 19th century and likely has some imperfections). If you haven’t been keeping up with engagement ring trends, know that, along with lab-grown stones, over the last few years, more minimalist styles have dominated, thanks in no small part to Hailey Bieber.
But with maximalism shaping up to define 2026–Pinterest just highlighted Glamoratti and Neo Deco as key aesthetic themes–more really is more. Swift's ring, with its chunky facets, hand-engraving, and a warm glow that she says she watches "like it's a TV”, fits right in.
Is this shift about more than just more? Self-expression and imperfection will play an increasingly important role, a counterpoint to the polished perfection of AI and lab-grown offerings. We expect this tension to resurface again and again this year, so stay tuned for more on imperfections and maximalism.
🚀 OVER AND OUT!
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