🪴 Houseplants are taking over

Know what this living space needs? More plants.

That’s what thousands of people have told themselves throughout the pandemic — leading to rapid growth of the online plant community (and a rise of plant-obsessed hoarders), per Input Mag.

The houseplant frenzy has been budding all over social media

Enthusiasts have been congregating across platforms, including:

• Facebook: The House Plant Hobbyist Facebook group has ~500k members
• Reddit: The r/houseplants subreddit has 956k members
• TikTok: The #plantsoftiktok hashtag reached 4.3B views

The craze has gotten so big that, in 2021, “how to move with plants” was Googled more than “how to move with kids” or “how to move with pets.”

It’s also minted a very specific type of influencer

“Plantfluencers” often have hundreds of plants, and help guide new hobbyists down the rabbit hole, showing them which plants to purchase and how to care for them.

But many plantfluencers are quick to point out that the rapid growth of the houseplant community has fostered a trend of overconsumption:

• A major focus of online houseplant groups is the sale of plants — often in auction or “drop” form — causing ignorant purchasing behavior.
• The influx of new buyers also put strain on supply, and prices jumped ~19% this year.
• One collector realized things were out of hand when her plant collection prevented her from seeing out her windows.

Despite the downsides, plants have proven benefits

Some perks of the hobby include improved moods and reduced stress; plants can also clean indoor air by absorbing toxins and producing oxygen.

If you’re a budding plantfluencer, just be mindful of your spending habits, or you may find yourself in a jungle of your own making.

P.S. Need help caring for your indoor plants? Check out this guide to master the basics.

TikTok is popular, everyone knows that. But just how popular is it?

This week, cloud infrastructure company Cloudflare released its Year in Review 2021 — the equivalent of Spotify Wrapped for web traffic data (how exciting).

The kicker? Cloudflare’s report had TikTok shoot up from 7th place in 2020 to 1st place in 2021, dethroning Google of the top spot.

The list comes with one major caveat, however. Google owns YouTube, but they’re counted separately on this list. Now, just imagine if they were counted together…

“Get Back” is a newly released documentary about The Beatles.

The project — created by “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson — pulls incredible footage from a 1969 recording session.

The legendary group demonstrates…

… notable management principles in their creative process, per The Economist.

First is group psychology: An MIT study shows that group performance is more correlated with sensitivity than intelligence.

Ringo Starr — the coolest mustached musician ever — is known as the laid-back guy. His chill attitude makes him seem “dispensable” but he “softens conflict and bridges divides” within the group.

Two other principles:

• Inspiration is everywhere: McKinsey surveyed 5k+ execs and found that learning from others is key to success. The Beatles regularly got creative ideas from other bands.
• Deadlines are key: A Google study found its best teams set goals that were “specific, challenging and attainable.” In the documentary, The Beatles have “to write an album’s worth of new songs in just a matter of days and perform them on a TV special.”

The Economist concedes its analysis has limits: not every team can have George Harrison, John Lennon, and Paul McCartney.

The latter 2 are regarded as all-time geniuses. That’s one management lesson you can imagine, but not replicate.