Expert Tips to Help Kick Your Smartphone Addiction

Kylie Kendall
May 25, 2016

Too much of anything is a bad thing — and that definitely goes for internet scrolling. We know that in teens, social media can cause mental health issues and daily scrolling could be the reason you can’t sleep. But you don’t have to quit social media entirely. There are ways to filter some of the information overload, take breaks from social media and generally just be a little more mindful about your internet consumption. We asked Felice Miller Gabriel, the co-founder of app developing company Delvv, for her best tips on curbing that smartphone addiction.

1. Keep an eye on yourself. Felice says the first step is to figure out what it is that’s causing the information overload. “The average smartphone user checks their phone over 150 times a day and a majority of that is triggered by notifications,” Felice tells us. “The first key is to be aware of how you’re interacting with your smartphone. It might seem counterintuitive, but you can actually use an app to track your time wasting.” Felice recommends Checky, an app that tracks how many times you check your phone in a day, as a good place to start.

2. Find the culprits. Next, ask yourself — which apps are you checking a million times a day? Which ones do you find yourself going down a black hole of scrolling? Not all apps or websites are equal time wasters. The key is to figure out which ones are the worst culprits. “There’s so much information fragmented across too many streams on your smartphone. You have social stuff, the emails, the constant frenetic push notifications. It’s a conditioned response to open up our phones, but there’s a way to drill down and look more discreetly at the content you are focusing on,” Felice says. She mentions Quality Time, an app that tracks which apps you’re spending the most time on throughout the day and allows you to set limits on those time wasters.

3. Use your phone settings. This one’s simple, but many people never actually take the time to do it. “Go in and disable the pointless push notifications that are constantly nudging and annoying you. Not all notifications are created equally. Direct messages like email, text messages and instant messages are generally more important than the social media updates, sport updates and news items.” This is one of the quickest and easiest ways to simplify your smartphone time.

4. Out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes, even if all the annoying notifications are switched off, it can be way too tempting to check your social media of choice every five minutes — even though you know nothing’s changed since the last time you checked. But “keeping your phone out of reach when you’re doing certain activities throughout the day” is super helpful, Felice tells us. “The easier it is to grab your phone, the more often you’ll do it. It’s great to have a predetermined place in your home where you leave your phone when you don’t really want it. For me, I just keep it in my purse.”

5. Set boundaries. “Not all communication requires an immediate response. It’s really great to just set aside times of day for following up with non-critical emails and let people know sort of when your office hours are for emails and keeping up with communications.” If you’re really brave, you could also try this with texts (and Twitter mentions and Instagram DMs etc.).

6. Enforce the rules. Try bringing other people into your newfound non-tech time. Whether it’s your family or guests in your house, try building non-tech time into group activities. “While you’re out to dinner or hanging out with a friend, play the ‘phone stack’ game,” Felice says. “Stack your phones in the middle of the table and don’t check your phone until you’re done with your meal or activity. The first person to grab their phone has to pick up the tab. Seeing how often you feel the reflex to grab your phone the minute it buzzes or lights up will help you be more aware of your digital compulsions. This will also help retrain your brain to learn that nothing terrible happens when you don’t immediately respond to every text, call or email. At the very least, you’ll enjoy a great time with friends without the constant interruption of your cell phones.”

Bottom line: “I really think our phones should be more of an enabling device to live our lives, and not take over,” Felice says. AMEN!

Which of these tips are you going to try out? Tweet us your thoughts @BritandCo!

(Photos via Getty)

Amanda Montell Knows You're Overthinking Because She Is Too

If Emma Watson's book clubwere still active, she'd definitely have one of Amanda Montell's books on her list. After all, she penned Wordslut and Cultish— two compelling titles about reclaiming the English language from a feminist's POV and understanding why TF cults exist. She's not afraid to be curious about human nature and even helps readers understand things in a way that's a far cry from mansplaining. Simply put: Amanda Montell is as relatable as she is clever.

Did we mention she's also got a natural sense of humor? It's like she knows how to engage with people without changing who she is and what she believes in — two very rare things in the age of social media. Had we known any better, we would've included her on our list of inspirational women to pay attention to last year. But, there's no time like the present to honor her brilliance and celebrate the debut of her third novel The Age of Magical Overthinking.

The title alone drew us in and made us want to get to the bottom of our own battle with overthinking. It's partially why Amanda Montell wrote about it. Her other reason? Well, she's got a close relationship with overanalyzing things too. What better way to understand your own habit than to write about it and share your findings with the public?

Just think of her as your new bestie who's just as happy to talk about summer bucket lists as she is to break down things like cognitive bias or the halo effect 😉.

B+C: Why do you think so many of us are overthinking things, especially in the age of modern social media?

Amanda Montell: I decided to title the book The Age of Magical Overthinking because I couldn't help but notice that there just seems to be an inexplicable, excessive [amount of] delulu in the culture despite the fact we're living in the so-called information age. Everything from people with Master's degrees basing their genuine decisions on astrology to, you know, my neighbors opting not to get the Covid vaccine because a TikToker — a like, white girlie with a Bindi — told them it would downgrade their DNA.

Stuff like that didn't seem to check out for me, especially since we're ostensibly living in a time when you can fact check anything with the click of a button. I was like, 'What is going on here,' and as it turns out, what is going on is this innate clash between our innate decision-making shortcuts — the processes by which we always jump to conclusions in order to make quick decisions to make sense of the world enough to survive it. There's a clash between those age old decision-making methods called cognitive biases and the information age in a way that is ending up pretty explosive for society at large...and is causing us a great deal of existential pain.

So, magical thinking — or the idea that our internal thoughts can affect external events — is a human quirk that has been around since the dawn of our species. But I think overthinking is really a product of the modern age or result of this capitalistic pressure to be right about everything under the sun...

B+C: How do you think this is impacting the way we interact with each other?

Amanda Montell: There's a lot going on. We need to interact in person in order to have empathy...to establish the social glue that keeps us from getting into extremely fraud and sometimes violent ideological conflict. I think there's the idea that the internet is causing ideological rifts to widen and I think in a way that's true, but what's more problematic is the fact we are engaging in social discourse in a medium that prevents that empathy from holding us together.

I think almost everyone can relate to the experience of receiving a curt email from a boss or receiving a salty Instagram comment that sends us into fight or flight. We're responding to non-threats — these sort of abstract disagreements or fake problems — that we're projecting panic onto.

B+C: Can you break down the halo effect for our readers?

Amanda Montell: It was so much fun to explore this particular cognitive bias early in the book because I felt like it really would set up the whole thesis of it quite well. Basically the halo effect is this penchant admire one quality in a person — their fashion sense, their intelligence, the way they blend an oat milk latte — and then assume they must be perfect overall. This halo effect connects to the ways ancient humans used to find role models for survival purposes in our communities.

Ages ago, you used to clock someone in your small village with big muscles...and figure, 'Oh they must be a skilled hunter or they've avoided disfigurement from battle. I would love to align myself with this person for survival,' even though you're jumping to conclusions about them. Their big muscles might not necessarily indicate that they're skilled in battle or they're a good hunter, but it's an efficient enough decision to make.

We're not mapping that conclusion jumping onto modern parasocial relationships. We see a pop star whose music we really connect to and assume they must be educated, worldly, nurturing, they're political beliefs align with ours in this particular time when we're losing so much trust in the government...Basically since the Regan era — our first celebrity President — celebrities have really started swerving into other aspects of life (spiritual, political, etc.,)...

Rapid Fire Q&A

B+C: What are some some of the things you're currently obsessing over?

Amanda Montell: That's so funny you asked that because on this new podcast — The Magical Overthinkers — I also am opening every episode by asking 'What's an irrational thought spiral that's living rent-free in your head?'

I am totally overthinking my book tour outfits right now. Speaking of consumerism as like a distracting or numbing exercise, launching a book is very stressful and the one thing that made me feel some sense of relief is just shopping for cute outfits. I've been buying a lot of plaid skirt suits. The vibe is definitely 90s nostalgic, a little dark academia meets cochette.

B+C: If you were to give yourself five days to unplug from social media, how would you spend your time?

Amanda Montell: Great question. You know what? I'm setting up a week like this for myself in May after the book tour stuff dies down. After my last book Cultish came out, I was unwell in the mind. I felt so exposed and so fragile. I was like, 'I need to send myself on some kind of retreat,' so I sent myself on this little solo excursion to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina and it was so healing...I went and lived in an Airstream for a couple of days. I was doing nature walks and lying in a hammock journaling...

The Age of Magical Overthinking

Watch the Full Interview with Amanda Montell:

www.youtube.com

Dive Deep into The Age of Magical Overthinking with Amanda Montell

Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more BTS conversations with authors!

This interview has been condensed for clarity.

Brit + Co may at times use affiliate links to promote products sold by others, but always offers genuine editorial recommendations.

Lead image via Kaitlyn Mikayla

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Sydney Sweeney Is Rumored To Be Joining "Spider-Man 4" With Tom Holland

Tom Holland and Zendaya are the "it" couple right now, and they're both at the top of their game. Tom Holland took a recent break from acting and has been doing phenomenal charity work with his Brothers Trust foundation (don't worry, though, he's returning to the stage this year for Romeo & Juliet!), while Zendaya's had hit after hit with Euphoria, Dune 2, and Challengers. And it looks like the couple, who met doing Spider-Man: Homecoming, could be doing another new Marvel movie. Here's everything we know about Spider-Man 4.

Will there be a Spider-Man 4?

Image via Jay Maidment/Sony Pictures/Marvel

While Marvel Studios has yet to confirm Spider-Man 4 is officially on its way, the movie is definitely in the works. Producer Amy Pascal tells Variety (when asked if they're making a fourth film), “Of course, we are."

It might feel like this report conflicts with the fact Spider-Man: No Way Home set up an MCU without Tom Holland's Peter Parker, especially since Tom said he needed to take a break from acting after The Crowded Room "broke" him. ("I’m now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was," he tells Extra.)

However, Tom's also been very vocal about how much Spider-Man means to him, and how much he loves the movies. He also told Variety at The Crowded Room premiere that he's “been having meetings” about the next installment. If he's on board, I know it's going to be a great film!

Will Zendaya return in Spider-Man 4?

Image via JoJo Whilden/Sony Pictures/Marvel

With the recent news that Euphoria season 3 is delayed — and the cast has been given the greenlight to take other projects — it's totally plausible Zendaya will return for Spider-Man 4. And fans are hoping for even more characters they love! "Hopefully Kingpin, Scorpion, Daredevil and Black Cat," says one Reddit user.

Forbes has also recently reported Sydney Sweeney could be joining the cast of Spider-Man 4. Sydney was in Madame Web earlier this year, and after rumors she booked the role thinking she was joining the MCU, this newest Tom Holland film would give her the opportunity to do just that. We could see her as Gwen Stacy, or as Felicia Hardy/Black Cat. Considering we've already gotten an extensive plotline surrounding Peter and Gwen in Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone's universe, I'm hoping we'd see her as Felicia!

Fast & Furious director Justin Lin and OG Spider-Man director Sam Raimi are two names rumored to take on the new movie.

Has Spider-Man 4 started filming?

Image via Sony Pictures/Marvel

Spider-Man 4 will reportedly begin filming in September or October 2024, according to The InSneider. Based on the fact that Spider-Man: Far From Home began filming in July of 2018 and premiered in July of 2019, it's safe to assume we could see Spider-Man 4 as early as fall 2025!

What is the name of Spider-Man 4?

Image via Sony Pictures/Marvel

We don't have an official name for Spider-Man 4 yet, but fans are already coming up with new ideas. Some fan titles include The Spectacular Spider-Man,Spider-Man: Homeless, and Spider-Man: Home Again. I'd love for Spider-Man 4 to continue with the "home" theme, but switching things up with a brand new title would provide a fresh feel we haven't gotten before. I'm excited to see what Marvel goes with!

What are the Tom Holland Spider-Man movies in order?

Image via Sony Pictures/Marvel

Tom Holland has three Spider-Man movies, but he also shows up in some other MCU titles. If you want to watch all the movies Tom Holland plays Peter Parker, here's how you should watch them:

  • Captain America: Civil War
  • Spider-Man: Homecoming
  • Avengers: Infinity War
  • Avengers: Endgame
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home
  • Spider-Man: No Way Home

What do you want to see in Tom Holland and Zendaya's Spider-Man 4? Let us know in the comments!

Lead image via Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

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"Big Mood" Is About To Be Your Favorite Show Of 2024

If you haven't heard about Big Mood yet, don't worry — it's about to be everywhere. The new TV show stars Bridgerton's Nicola Coughlan as Maggie and Love Again's Lydia West as Eddie, two best friends preparing to enter their 30s. And when Maggie’s bipolar disorder makes a return, their trust in each other is tested like never before. Every single moment of the series is packed with female-centered experiences and relationships, and the actresses are as close in real life as their characters are onscreen.

"We both love our jobs, but then we both inherently like, want to be done," Nicola jokes. (To which Lydia agrees: "We're lazy.")

The fun both women have behind the scenes comes through in every aspect of Big Mood, from Nicola and Lydia's chemistry and Rebecca [Asher]'s direction to the scripts themselves. Each detail feels intentional, and emphasizes the intensity of Maggie and Eddie's emotions.

Image via Tubi

As a viewer, there are more than a few moments that got a visceral reaction from me — including a conversation about the TK Maxx Subreddit. And when I bring it up during our conversation, Nicola Coughlan laughs as though she's never heard the joke before. (That's just how good the scripts are — no matter how many times I hear the lines, I still laugh!)

"I'm a TikTok girlie, even though I hate to say it, but I get lost in deep rabbit holes," Nicola says. "Just like stuff that's, like, none of my business. They're like, a 50-part story about this woman whose husband cheated on [her], I'm like, 'Get me in.'"

While Maggie prefers to get her news from Reddit, I have to ask the Bridgerton actress (who plays Penelope Featherington in the hit series) what Maggie and Eddie would say if they published their own version of Lady Whistledown's Society Papers.

"[Maggie] would destroy Will because she just hates Will, who's like the nicest man," Nicola says. She just hates his very presence, [but] Rob Gilbert who plays him, I actually adore Rob. But it's very fun to like take him down. She'd destroy Jonah. Eddie would hype up the bar maybe."

"Eddie would just talk about how great [the bar] Wet Mouth is," Lydia agrees. "And how it has a great basement and it's not rat invested and she would then, I think, try and give the papers to some sort of potential investor to invest and be like 'This is actually a magazine article of how good our bar is.'"

Image via Tubi

While the show is hilarious and heartfelt, celebrating the joys and struggles of female friendships, it doesn't shy away from themes of mental health. I was taken aback by how raw and unfiltered Maggie's experience with bipolar disorder is, and Nicola Coughlan feels the same way.

"It's so deeply woven into the show in such a seamless way, and it's a testament to how incredible a writer Camilla [Whitehill] is," Nicola says. "The depressive periods that Maggie has, when we were on set, so many of the crew would even be like, 'This has been me,' you know, like that's very relatable. But the mania was something that I didn't really understand."

"I've known people in the past who've had bipolar disorder but trying to get in the headspace of someone that would go from the highest of highs and lows of lows imagining how unbelievably difficult that is and debilitating it is," she continues. "That was a big learning curve for me."

Rapid Fire With "Big Mood" Stars Nicola Coughlan And Lydia West

Image via Tubi

Brit + Co: This show is called Big Mood — what's something that always puts you in a *good* mood?

Lydia West: Ice cream!

Nicola Coughlan: Trash TV.

Brit + Co: What is your onset must-have?

Lydia West: A candle in my trailer.

Nicola Coughlan: A cozy place to have a little rest.

Image via Tubi

Brit + Co: What's on your summer 2024 bucket list?

Lydia West: I really want to go to Japan. I don't know if I will be able to with a small baby. I'm going to try it.

Nicola Coughlan: He's a chill guy, he's in New York. He's an international traveler, he can do everything! I want to hug Lydia's baby. Literally, that's all I can think about all day. I'm like, this is fun and everything but give me the baby.

Brit + Co: When was the last time you canceled plans?

Lydia West: I love to cancel plans. I always make a plan and I'm like, 'I don't want to do this.' I've tried to do it a lot less now, like, set boundaries of 'I actually don't want to have a plan this day.' So I was really good because everyone's planning dinners and stuff in New York and I was like, 'I'm gonna be so tired. I've got a small baby. I'm not coming,' and that was good for me because I would have canceled. It's actually okay to cancel plans.

Where can I watch Big Mood in the US?

Image via Tubi

You can stream Big Mood on Tubi starting April 19, 2024.

Check out Nicola Coughlan and Lydia West in Tubi's Big Mood starting April 19 — and read up on all this year's spring movies too!

Lead image via Tubi

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The First "Tortured Poets Department" Music Video Premieres This Friday

We are now two for two on expecting Taylor Swift to announce Reputation (Taylor's Version) during an acceptance speech and getting an album announcement instead. After showing up to the 2022 VMAs in a "Look What You Made Me Do"-inspired outfit and announcing Midnights, Taylor Swift wore a black and white ensemble on the 2024 Grammys red carpet before telling the world her new album The Tortured Poets Department is coming this spring!

And while accepting the 2024 iHeart Radio Music Award for Artist of the Year, Taylor also promises the rest of 2024 will be just as exciting as 2023. "We have so many exciting things ahead of us," the 1989 (Taylor's Version)singer says after thanking iHeart and the fans. "Most importantly, I have a brand new album called The Tortured Poets Department, which comes out on April 19. I cannot wait to share it with you...I just can't wait to keep having fun with you guys because we have a lot of exciting things coming up."

One of those exciting things includes a music video, which Taylor revealed in a "TTPD Timetable" Instagram video. This first music video premieres April 19 at 8PM EST, and if I had to guess, I'd say it's for the title track: "The Tortured Poets Department." Here's everything else we know about the new Taylor Swift album. (And everything you need to know about Taylor Swift (Taylor's Version) too ;)).

What is a tortured poets department?

Image via Taylor Swift/Instagram

Taylor Swift has spent years talking about her anxiety, her sleepless nights, and her emotions. "My muses, acquired like bruises / My talismans and charms / The tick, tick, tick of love bombs / My veins of pitch black ink," she writes in her official Instagram post. "All's fair in love and poetry." My guess is that The Tortured Poets Department features a bunch of artists who all feel very deeply and have a similar ethereal, larger-than-life approach to their music.

As far as the name, it looks like The Tortured Poets Department could be referencing her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn's group chat name — "The Tortured Man Club" with Paul Mescal (who starred in Normal People while Joe starred Conversations With Friends. Both series are based on Sally Rooney books).

Taylor Swift is also making major connections to the "poetry" aspect of TTPD because ahead of the album release, you can visit the limited library installation pop-up! From Tuesday, April 16 to Thursday, April 18, you can head to The Grove in Los Angeles to see all kinds of surprises that will tease Taylor Swift's newest era.

When is The Tortured Poets Department release date?

Image via Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The Tortured Poets Department is dropping April 19, 2024. It looks like ahead of the release, Taylor Swift is sending fans on a scavenger hunt to gather clues about the album. @eurosweetheart on TikTok points out that on Apple Music, certain song lyrics from Taylor's discography feature random capital letters. But when the letters are strung together, they form words! So far, we have "Hereby" and "Conduct." Are we getting an announcement? Are these Tortured Poets Department lyrics? Taylor does love to reference games in her lyrics so this should come as a surprise to no one ;).

At the Eras Tour shows in Tokyo, Taylor Swift explained when she started working on TTPD. “I’ve been working on Tortured Poets since right after I turned in Midnights,” she said onstage. “So, you turn in an album months in advance…and I’ve been working on it for about two years. I kept working on it throughout the U.S. tour and when it was perfect, in my opinion, when it was good enough for you, I finished it.”

"Soon you'll get to hear it, soon we'll get to experience it together," she continued. "I'm over the moon about the fact that you guys care about my music...Everyone’s like, ‘Why do you make so many albums?’ And I’m like, ‘Man, because I love it! I love it so much! I’m having fun, leave me alone.'”

The brand new album follows Speak Now (Taylor's Version) and 1989 (Taylor's Version). When Midnights was announced after Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version), I wondered whether she'd have a two rerecordings, one new album pattern and it looks like that's what we're getting!

What is Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department?

Image via Taylor Swift/Instagram

Taylor Swift's new album (which is also referred to as TS11) is called The Tortured Poets Department. Taylor Swift announced the album while accepting the award for Best Pop Album at the 2024 Grammys. While we don't know the exact vibe of the album, over the last year, we've gotten quite a few clues about what we can expect! Just like "Daylight" at the end of Lover sets up Midnights, I think "Dear Reader" sets up The Tortured Poets Department.

And in honor of the eclipse on April 8, Taylor Swift posted the first lyrics from TS11! "Crowd goes wild at her fingertips // Half moonshine // Full eclipse," the lyric post reads. While some fans think this could be a line from "Florida!!!" (which we're expecting to reference her Florida Eras Tour shows), others say it could be from "Clara Bow."

"The first line makes you think of someone who’s famous (Clara Bow was an actress) and...moonshine was a type of alcohol that was popular during prohibition during the 1920s which is when Clara Bow was famous," one comment reads.

Taylor's official announcement features even more beautiful language that evokes the same emotion "The Lakes" does, which makes me believe TTPD will be similar to Folklore and Evermore (maybe it'll even serve as the third sister album Swifties thought we'd get in 2021?). Some fans are also convinced TTPD connects to Reputation, and TBH, I'm hopping on this train!

"I think the two albums are sisters albums, but in like an opposite way," one Reddit user says. "Reputation is all black, this one is going to be all white and softly coded." Another agrees: "Reputation is presented as a dark album but is truly a love album...This one is presented as soft and white but I bet the lyrics will be devastating."

I'm expecting TS11 to have the same lyrical prowess as songs like "Would've, Should've, Could've," The National's "The Alcott" (on which Taylor's a featured artist), and "You're Losing Me." Taylor is all about looking past appearances and telling a complex story, and The Tortured Poets Department will be no different. Just like Reputation is an edgy, glittery, emotionally-charged version of the beginning of her relationship with ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn, I totally agree that TTPD could look grounded, airbrushed, and dreamy from the outside, but the lyrics will be SAD.

There's also been some discussion that TS11 could be another pop album that's even more nuanced than Midnights. Well, during her Eras Tour show in Sydney, Australia, she played another round of suspicious surprise songs. While sitting at the piano, Taylor Swift takes her earpiece out and calls attention to the keyboard. "Do you hear that?" she says (via TikTok). "My damn keyboard's playing a synth sound." She then does what she almost always does when dropping an Easter egg: she smirks.

"That sound is how the album starts, mark my words," one comment reads. Another says, "That smirk tells me everything I need to know."

How do I presave The Tortured Poets Department?

Image via Taylor Swift's official store/UMG

Before The Tortured Poets Department's release on at midnight on April 19 (we're less than a month away!), go ahead and pre-save it. It'll make streaming the album a little bit easier because when you pre-save, the album will pop up for you as soon as it drops! Go to Taylor Swift's official website and click on the "Pre-add/Pre-save" button. It'll take you to a new page where you can save it on Spotify or Apple Music (depending on which service you use), and you can also pre-order at stores like Target!

How many songs will be on The Tortured Poets Department?

Image via Taylor Swift/Instagram

Taylor Swift dropped The Tortured Poets Department song list February 5, and we already have theories about what each track could reference. IMO, "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" is totally referencing Taylor Swift's performances of "Lover" following her split from Joe Alwyn (you can see her crying during the set), while there's a good chance "Florida!!!" is referencing her first Tampa concert, which was the first show she performed after the breakup became public knowledge. Taylor Swift's dad Scott Swift recently told fans he's most excited for Swifties to hear the title track and "Florida!!!" Here's the full tracklist for TS11:

  1. Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)
  2. The Tortured Poets Department
  3. My Boy Only Breaks His Favorite Toys
  4. Down Bad
  5. So Long, London
  6. But Daddy I Love Him
  7. Fresh Out the Slammer
  8. Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)
  9. Guilty as Sin?
  10. Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?
  11. I Can Fix Him (No Really I Can)
  12. loml
  13. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart
  14. The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived
  15. The Alchemy
  16. Clara Bow
  17. Bonus Track: The Manuscript
  18. Bonus Track: The Bolter
  19. Bonus Track: The Albatross
  20. Bonus Track: The Black Dog

Will The Tortured Poets Department be explicit?

Image via Taylor Swift/Instagram

There are 7 explicit songs on The Tortured Poets Department: "The Tortured Poets Department," "Down Bad," "But Daddy I Love Him," "Florida!!! (feat. Florence + The Machine)," "loml," "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart," and "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived."

What is The Albatross about?

Image via Taylor Swift/Instagram

During one of her Eras Tour shows in Sydney, Australia, Taylor Swift announced a new version of The Tortured Poets Department featuring exclusive bonus track "The Albatross." This new album already has some crazy track titles — all with pretty noteworthy meanings.

According to Collins Dictionary, if you call someone an Albatross, "they cause you great problems from which you cannot escape, or they prevent you from doing what you want to do," while a Bolter could refer to someone bolting out of a relationship (or bolting from a restaurant to a car like in this viral clip 🤨).

Meanwhile "The Alchemy" refers to the continual process of trying to turn something into gold — remember how Taylor Swift spent 6 years saying her relationship with Joe Alwyn was golden? Buckle up Swifties, TS11 is going to be a wild ride.

What does loml mean?

Image via Taylor Swift/Instagram

At first glance, the twelfth song on The Tortured Poets Department, "loml," means "love of my life." Some fans were wondering if the song was a nod to Harry Styles since his Harry's House finale track is "Love of My Life" (the album also features a track named "Daylight" which is another funny connection to Taylor Swift). But Bonnie & Emily from ChatsAndReacts have got me thinking about the track in a whole new way.

Emily says that while Taylor might sing about the love of her life at the beginning of the song, she also has the potential to switch it up each verse. "Lie of my life" and "loss of my life" are HEART WRENCHING, and totally something Taylor would write.

How can I buy The Tortured Poets Department?

Image via Taylor Swift store

You can pre-order a bunch of different versions of The Tortured Poets Department on Taylor Swift's website right now, includingThe Tortured Poets Department CD + Bonus Track "The Manuscript", The Tortured Poets Department CD + Bonus Track "The Manuscript" andThe Tortured Poets Department Cassette + Bonus Track "The Manuscript".

Will The Tortured Poets Department have any featured artists?

Image via Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Yes, The Tortured Poets Department will feature Florence + The Machine on the song "Florida!!!" and Post Malone on the song "Fortnight." And after Taylor Swift teased a variety of collaborations by posting handwritten lyrics from artists like Harry Styles and Lorde, Swifties are wondering if The Tortured Poets Department will be the "collab album" we never got.

Another clue that leads me to believe this is true is the fact that the title of this album is so much longer than her other titles — and she refers to herself as "Chairman" of the department. Who are all the constituents?! Are they all the same artists who left Scooter Braun's management last year? Only time will tell, because as far as I'm concerned, surprises aren't out of the question until the TS11 era is over!👀

What is the theory of Taylor Swift's double album?

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Throughout her stay in Sydney, Australia for the Eras Tour, Taylor Swift has been dropping lots — and I mean lots — of twos. @v_swiftie_ points out that in addition to holding up the number two while announcing The Tortured Poets Department, she's been playing more surprise song mashups than normal, and Taylor Nation has been posting Instagram stories featuring the number 2 instead of the number 13. Suspicious, Tay, very suspicious.

Are you excited for The Tortured Poets Department? What kinds of collabs or songs are you hoping for? Let us know in the comments and check out these Taylor Swift Disney Movie Posters Inspired By Her Songs for more fun content!

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Zendaya Already Has Outfit Ideas For This Year's "Very Special" Met Gala

Siri, play “It’s A Beautiful Day” because we be getting the first glimpses of spring, but I’m already daydreaming about the First Monday in May. While you might think about Christmas or the first day of summer when you hear “the best day of the year,” I’m talking about Met Gala Monday. Instead of a uneventful, sleepy Monday like most of the year, Met Gala Monday might as well be a scene from a rom-com: celebs are pulling up to their hotels to spend the day getting ready, social media goes crazy over every little detail, and you can basically feel the electricity in the Manhattan air.

The evening is always full of incredible Met Gala outfits, shocking moments, and all the best unexpected (or very expected) celebrity couples. We may not know the Met Gala 2024 guest list until the night of the event, but we do know the Met Gala 2024 co-chairs and they’re *amazing.* Keep reading for everything you need to know about the 2024 Met Gala before you press play on The Devil Wears Prada again!

What is the 2024 Met Gala theme?

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The Met Gala 2024 theme is “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” According to the official exhibition site, "Sleeping Beauties" takes around 250 pieces from across 400 years that are all related to nature, "which will serve as a metaphor for the fragility and ephemerality of fashion and a vehicle to examine the cyclical themes of rebirth and renewal."

The exhibit will also feature different activations to engage your senses (think smell, sound, texture, and movement) since the pieces are now too old to wear — something that’s been a hot topic since Kim Kardashian wore a Marilyn Monroe dress to the 2023 Met Gala, and then the internet questioned whether she ripped it.

During the Challengers press tour, Zendaya told E! News that this year's gala is "very special." "[Stylist Law Roach and I] have some ideas," she says. "I know that Jonathan [Anderson], who is our incredible costume designer, is also hosting, so it felt like the right time."

I’m very interested to see how guests interpret the theme for their outfits because when I first heard the theme, I thought it was referencing the Sleeping Beauty fairytale! (Although, the dress code is "The Garden of Time.") I love how the whole Met Gala 2024 theme captures the lush richness of nature, rather than things decaying or dying away, which is what I usually think of with the passage of time. However Zendaya and all the Met Gala guests interpret the theme, this is sure to be one for the books.

Who is invited to the Met Gala 2024?

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We won't know the official Met Gala guest list until the night of the event, but it looks like we'll see a lot of our favorite TV and movie stars this year. The Bear star Ayo Edebiri will reporedly attend, as will Killers of the Flower Moon Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone. We could also see Gisele Bündchen, Kendall Jenner, and Rihanna, who never fails to look amazing when she shows up to the Met Gala! Olivia Rodrigo, Uma Thurman, Sarah Paulson, Cara Delevingne, and Barry Keoghan will reportedly attend, and I hope Barry brings girlfriend Sabrina Carpenter too!

What is the Met Gala?

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The Met Gala is an annual event put on to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. The Met Gala is best known for the maximalist, costume-like outfits the attendees wear — from Rihanna dressing like the literal Pope to Blake Lively dressing like the Empire State Building (although my favorite Met Gala look of all time is this red and gold number Blake is wearing!). Different celebrities and creatives gather in their best ‘fits to explore the new fashion exhibit before it’s open to the public.

Who are the co-chairs of the Met Gala 2024?

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There will be four Met Gala co-chairs this year: Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, Zendaya, and Bad Bunny. Vogue Magazine announced the quartet on February 15, 2024 via a funny Instagram video. All four of these celebs are power houses, but I’m most excited to see Zendaya. She hasn’t been to a Met Gala since 2019, and I know that with her poise and her creative approach to carpets, she'll knock it out of the park!

When is the Met Gala date?

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The 2024 Met Gala will take place on May 6, 2024. Every year, the Met Gala happens on the first Monday in May, and it’s become such an iconic event that the First Monday in May is as well-known as the gala itself!

Can anyone go to the Met Gala?

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No, unfortunately to go to the Met Gala, you have to be invited. However, anyone can wait outside to watch the red carpet! The streets around 5th Avenue in New York City start getting crazy by lunchtime as celebs get ready and leave their hotels to head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In 2021, I stood outside the hotels and was able to see stars like Emily Blunt, Simu Liu, and Gigi Hadid!

How much does it cost to go to the Met Gala?

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In 2023, a ticket to the Met Gala cost upwards of $50,000, via TIME.

What do you think about the Met Gala 2024 theme? Are you excited to see Zendaya (and hopefully Blake Lively) walk the carpet? Check out our Facebook for the latest celebrity news!

Lead image via Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

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