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India Today
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
The ‘Study With Me' Trend Among Gen Z: Focus Buddy or Digital Distraction?
In an age of endless distractions, Gen Z has turned to a quiet and surprising form of motivation: watching strangers study 'Study With Me' trend where YouTubers livestream or record themselves studying in real time has grown into a global digital habit. Whether it's a two-hour Pomodoro session or a 10-hour livestream with ambient sounds, these videos aren't meant to entertain, but to help others does it really work for most students?WHAT IS 'STUDY WITH ME' TREND The concept originated in countries like South Korea and Japan, where students began livestreaming their study sessions to stay accountable. Over time, it evolved into structured videos featuring soft music, countdown timers, aesthetic desk setups, and silent focus 'Study With Me' content is found across YouTube, TikTok, and Discord servers, often mimicking cosy library vibes or minimal, ambient these streaming platforms, students can also join live virtual study spaces like StudyStream. This platform offers 'focus rooms' where learners from around the world study together in real time via video helps students stay motivated and accountable by working alongside others, even if they're far apart. Users can choose to have their cameras on or off, while keeping the room quiet and free from also has a supportive online community where members share tips and encouragement, making it easier to stay focused and creators behind the trend have a passion for building communities and offering support to fellow core motivation behind the trend is creating a global network of virtual study buddies who encourage and support each other through shared digital spaces. Today, 'Study With Me' content is found across YouTube, TikTok, and Discord servers, often mimicking cosy library vibes or minimal, ambient workspaces. WHY STUDY WITH ME TREND WORKS FOR SOMEFor students who thrive on structure or need a sense of companionship while studying alone, these videos can offer both routine and creators use the Pomodoro method, timed focus sessions with built-in breaks, which helps students maintain consistent productivity over calm, uninterrupted rhythm of these videos makes them a go-to for those looking to limit distractions without working in complete one YouTube video titled '2 Hour Study With Me | Background noise, Birds Chirping, 10-min break, No Music, Study with Merve', she explains, 'I hope this study video helps you avoid using social media while you study. Hopefully, this will get you more motivated to study. I hope that helps you know that I'm there studying with you.'advertisementThis message reinforces her goal: creating a virtual 'study buddy' through quiet companionship and a calming IT IS ABOUT AESTHETICS, NOT THE STUDYFor some Gen Z viewers, 'Study With Me' is less about productivity and more about atmosphere. The aesthetic, clean desks, ambient lighting, rain sounds, and neatly arranged stationery, create a calm vibe that many find emotionally soothing or visually it doesn't always lead to deep focus, it offers a curated, peaceful environment that can feel comforting, even if one isn't actively it is not true for its popularity, 'Study With Me' isn't a universal solution. Some students feel that watching someone else study can become yet another form of procrastination. Others find the experience too passive or overly while the aesthetic aspect is a draw for some, others feel it can create unnecessary pressure to have a 'perfect' study space, rather than focusing on what works for them. When it's about making a clean and aesthetic space to study and not study itself (AI-generated image) advertisementWHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYINGIn a small survey conducted via Google Forms amongst college-age students, 77.8% of respondents said they do not use 'Study With Me' videos as part of their study ranged from preferring silence to finding screens more distracting than remaining 22.2% said the videos help them stay accountable or feel less alone during long hours of self-study, especially for competitive exams or during online FROM REAL STUDENTSSometimes, the best study advice comes from those in the middle of a student at the University of Delhi, says she turns to 'Study With Me' videos when she needs to stay focused. 'Seeing someone else stay on track helps me stay disciplined too,' she an undergraduate student in New Delhi, shared that long study sessions often feel easier when she watches others study online. 'It feels like I'm not studying alone.'advertisementThe 'Study With Me' trend may not suit every learner, but for some, it offers a subtle kind of support that goes beyond the screen. Whether it's a background presence, a motivational tool, or just a calming visual routine, it reflects Gen Z's evolving relationship with learning, productivity, and mental education becomes more hybrid and self-driven, these virtual study rooms might just become a quiet fixture in how students build focus and community from written by Yashika Pawar- Ends
South China Morning Post
13-02-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Sibling synergy: how sister-led brands in fashion are thriving
We've all been warned against working with family and friends – 'don't mix business with pleasure' and less elegant versions of the saying have been repeated time and again. In the start-up age, industry publications have covered many a founder falling-out; dramatic and sudden exits have pervaded industries from tech to beauty to homewares. In fashion, however, a growing cohort of successful sister-led brands are proving naysayers wrong. 'Of course, we sometimes have heated debates about what's best, and being a family means we can be brutally honest, but it's all forgotten very quickly,' says Beste Manastir, who founded Istanbul-based bag brand Manu Atelier with her sister Merve in 2014. Manu Atelier founders Beste and Merve Manastir. Photo: Handout The duo grew up with the smell of leather and collectively centred their business around their father, an esteemed craftsman who started working in leather goods in 1961. They oversee every aspect of the brand – from production to finance to design – together. Some may see this arrangement as a breeding ground for friction, but the Manastirs make it work – and produce timeless, city-chic totes while they're at it. According to Merve, the best part of working with her sister is how their personalities complement each other and feed into a sort of symbiosis, which empowers them when making business decisions both big and small. 'One of us [has] a more creative, big-picture approach, while the other excels in detail and execution … we've developed an unspoken synergy that allows us to move forwards with shared intuition.' Manu Atelier Le Cambon bags. Photo: Handout Merve and Beste aren't the only sororal pair who tap into such a bond: Amalie and Cecilie Moosgaard, the twins behind Copenhagen-based accessories brand Lié Studio, launched their jewellery business in 2021 after years of modelling side by side. More recently, the duo branched out beyond their category to venture into bags, belts and hair accessories, all of which bear their signature sleek style. 'It's always felt very natural – we know exactly when to step in or leave each other [alone]. But sometimes it's intense and a lot, especially for the other colleagues,' Cecilie says. 'People will ask, are they fighting? But we're just brainstorming and the next moment we ask, 'Do you want milk in your coffee or not?' We're sisters at the end of the day, and we bicker,' adds Amalie, noting that the two will often show up to the office in the same outfit despite living separately. Lié Studio co-founders, Amalie and Cecilie Moosgaard. Photo: Handout
