I’m taking a Yap Year

Welcome to the newsletter. It’s very nice to have such a wonderful, smart, and sexy reader like you in the fold. If you haven’t already, please subscribe here.

My name is Daysia Tolentino and I’m a freelance culture journalist. I was recently laid off at NBC News, where I was a culture and trends reporter. Now, I’m taking a Yap Year while I figure out what comes next. 

Like the traditional gap year taker, I’m doing a bit of soul searching. What now? What are my strengths and interests? What do I like?

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to assault my brain with content from the ‘puter. I’d consider myself a bit of a 2010s internet historian (yes, this newsletter has a strong Zillennial perspective) and pop culture obsessive. I like mining the archives to see where we’ve been, how far we’ve come, and what we keep returning to in the arts and culture. 

I like to call Yap Year a scrapbook for the chronically online. I’m in the business of documenting these internet memories because culture is so ephemeral these days. Lucky for you, I love to dwell and my mind is a steel trap. We’re going to be slowing down and waxing poetic about communities, subcultures, trends, and moments that stick with us (even if everyone else moved on). 

But seriously, on a level, it’s no secret that newsrooms are shrinking by the day. Pop culture and entertainment journalists are frequently on the chopping block because, let’s face it, there is more urgent news happening these days. 

Still, culture work is important because it reflects what is happening in the world and shows what people are doing to cope. I’d love to continue the work of reporting on culture and bring you fun stories that make you think deeper or reminisce. 

Every Monday you can expect a blog post and a playlist to start off the week. Some weeks, I might have a friend write about what they’ve been seeing, thinking, or obsessing over lately. 

If you’re interested in supporting my work further, consider signing up for a paid subscription. A subscription gets you access to an extra newsletter on Thursdays, including interviews and reported stories.

I’m so excited to start this journey with you all. A sneak peek on what’s to come: the Severance theory rabbit hole, the reinvention of the hipster, the neverending Millennial vs. Gen Z discourse, essential watches to understand the depressed 2010s teenager, and some unlocked Tumblr memories. 

I’d love to hear about what you’ve been interested in and what you’d want to see in Yap Year. Or if you have some gossip you want to share with the class, that works too. Drop me a line at [email protected].