by Sparkle Insights | Dec 1, 2025 | AI, China, Chinese, Culture
By Iris Yim It’s been a while since generative AI became mainstream, and its impact across industries has been nothing short of seismic. By now, though, the novelty has worn off. We’re no longer dazzled by AI-generated outputs, and most of us can easily tell...
by Sparkle Insights | Jul 27, 2025 | Popular Culture, Shopping, Social Media, Travel
By Iris Yim As a curious Gen X researcher—and a mom trying to understand her 12-year-old daughter Viveka and 16-year-old son Henning—I often find myself asking them questions about what grabs their attention online and what trends they’re into. It’s both...
by Sparkle Insights | Jul 27, 2025 | Culture, Travel
By Iris Yim On my visit to Scandinavia this summer, I stopped by a border museum in Kirkenes, in northern Norway, near the Russian border. The exhibits—and the very existence of a museum dedicated to this topic—made me reflect on the meaning of a border. ...
by Sparkle Insights | Jul 27, 2025 | Advertising, Market Research, Marketing, Technology
By Brittany Chiu The marketing world is undergoing a powerful shift as voice technology moves into the mainstream. With smart speakers present in nearly three-quarters of American homes and voice assistants integrated into everything from smartphones to...
by Sparkle Insights | Jul 27, 2025 | Gaming, Media and Entertainment, Popular Culture, Technology
By Brittany Chiu In December 2024, the ModRetro Chromatic, a modern reimagining of the classic Game Boy Color, sold out within 24 hours of its release. This wasn’t just another gadget launch—it was a cultural phenomenon that revealed something...
