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How did three young women from a tiny town in New Zealand become news powerbrokers for Gen Z? Alison Veness meets the anonymous trio behind Shit You Should Care About.

and bold. Their Instagram, @shityoushouldcareabout, is a mix of thoughtprovoking bite-sized news, politics, opinions and causes that has grown to more than two million users in two years. It’s all created by three women who in a social media world ruled by self-promotion, choose to remain anonymous: Luce, Liv and Rubes, average age 22. Together, they run their platforms (there’s also a matching website and podcast, The Shit Show) all from small-town Blenheim, population 26,400, perched at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Their collective take on news has resonated with a powerful and passionate generation worldwide, actively inspiring people to engage, vote, think and care.

THEY ARE BRAVE VOGUE AUSTRALIA: The world of SYSCA (shityoushouldcareabout) is in the vanguard of young voices forging views on the news. Why do you think it works?

LUCE:

“Because people can understand it. We believe everyone has the right to understand the world around them – without a degree, without having the money to get behind various paywalls – the news should be accessible to everyone – it’s happening to everyone.”

What motivates your collective take on your Instagram, website and podcasts?

RUBES:

“Everything is important to someone. The least we can do is try and give as much variety as we can, so everyone feels represented and heard. That’s why we are so grateful for our community. Our stories come from them, not from us.”

VA: You’ve generated so many followers during 2020 … RUBES:

“Unfortunately, 2020 has been an absolute shit show, which means there has been this weird combination of people being literally trapped inside on their phones, while we have seen some of the most contentious times in recent history.”

“We’ve seen the huge resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement – a movement where we have needed to be louder than ever, and people across the world have wanted to have their voices heard in some way. For those who couldn’t get out on their feet and protest, they came to places like us for information and to feel heard. Our job then, was to be a platform for the voices of the moment – and we did our best to raise those voices up.”

LUCE: VA: You certainly did that with the US election. How do you feel now the results are in and Trump is history?

LUCE:

RUBES:

“Hallelujah. We can breathe again!”

“I know, right. It was a good day for humanity. I think it is important to remember that there’s a long way to go. Biden is a start, but looking at how close the vote was, there is still a lot of change that needs to be made.”

VA: Why do you think more people than ever are becoming motivated to vote and participate?

”Our generation seems to be coming into adulthood while so many political, social and environmental issues are coming to fruition, being uncovered for what they truly are. Social media, for the first time, has allowed the immediacy of these issues to come to light. It is very hard now to live obliviously when technology has infiltrated every corner of Western life, showing us videos, pictures and words about the shit that is going on outside of our own little bubbles.”

LIV: VA: Two million plus followers is no mean feat … LIV:

“I think it’s the balance of serious issues, emotion and humour that our platform brings. People can read about the shit happening in the world without feeling totally dismayed by it but moved enough to do something about it. Lucy has an incredibly clear voice and tone that she conveys in such an approachable manner to the Instagram account – this, I think, is what really keeps our audience engaged.”

“I just think it’s the memes.”

LUCE:

VA: How important is the humour?

RUBES:

VA: What would you like to say to Harry Styles, who you throw into your feed as light relief?

LIV:

LUCE:

VA: What makes your working relationship successful?

LIV:

“Probably things that aren’t quite appropriate for print.” “And I’d thank him for helping so much with engagement.”

“Luce and Rubes have been friends since they were 12 and I met them when I was 15. We know each other inside out so there are no surprises when it comes to working together. We each have strengths in different areas that cover each other’s weaknesses, making us a great team.”

“We fill each other’s gaps and are big on mental health check-ins, too. We are practically sisters, so it makes for a pretty wild working relationship.” “Nothing is off limits with us. We love it.”

RUBES:

“So important. If we didn’t laugh, we’d cry.”

LUCE:

VA: Apart from politics, which other stories or issues do you find really connect with your audience?

LIV:

”We have a lot of people writing their personal experiences around sexual assault and ‘bad sex’ following an original anonymous article that was published on our website. ‘Bad sex’ is a term that has been coined on our website to describe the grey area between consensual sex and sexual assault or rape. We think it is an incredibly important conversation we should all be having, no matter our gender or sexual orientation. This seems to have become a great space for people to express themselves, tell their stories and get validation for experiences that they may not have understood, or ever told anyone about.”

“Our mental health stories are always so powerful and raw, and so many people relate to them, so we are pretty proud of them, too.”

LUCE: VA: What other challenges are this generation facing right now? LIV:

“The addiction of getting approval online – I mean this more in a personal than a business sense. It really freaks me out the way that social media is often used. We basically live our real life but then also have an online persona that we can manipulate, hyperbolise or sensor – and then get quantifiable feedback on the person we are portraying ourselves to be. If you don’t think too hard into this aspect of social media, then it seems kinda fun, light and fluffy – but I truly believe there is a tonne of subconscious shit at play that is fucking up a lot of people’s mental health. This is why at SYSCA we try to use social media in an unorthodox way so that we don’t get sucked into the worshiping of shallow aspects of life (social media definitely has this potential).”

“I agree about self-surveillance and the downfalls of social media. Also – and I don’t know if this is a moral challenge, nor do I think it’s for our generation to tackle – but just treating every human as a human. Why is that something we even have to work towards?”

LUCE:

How does it feel to have this influence coming out of Blenheim?

RUBES:

“This is quite unfathomable. Nothing about our lives has changed as the followers have gone up, which I’m so grateful for, but it is buzzy knowing that we’re in New Zealand, potentially having quite an impact over in places like the US. I was actually born in the US though, so it’s pretty cool.”

VA: And how did you feel about the results from the recent New Zealand referendums – the approval of euthanasia and rejection of legal cannabis?

RUBES:

“Gutted about the cannabis referendum – once all the special votes were counted, it was so close.” “Me too. It feels like a bit of a step backwards.”

LUCE:

VA: What is the best part about living in New Zealand? LIV:

“New Zealand is bloody beautiful, our pace of life is relatively relaxed, and it is pretty tiny, literally everyone knows everyone.”

“I love the humour. I love how dry and low-key savage we can be. All with love, obviously. But it’s definitely something I incorporate into the Instagram without even realising it, which I think people like.”

LUCE: VA: Why the anonymity? LIV:

“This was a no-brainer. The only reasons I can think of for putting our faces to SYSCA are all either selfish, for self-approval, or monetary gain – none of which are the premise of our platform.”

“SYSCA isn’t about us at all – it’s about championing the voices that need it. That’s our job.”

“Also, two million people recognising you and feeling as though they can comment on how we look/ act/are – no thank you. That shit is terrifying!”

RUBES: LUCE: VA: Aren’t you ever tempted to post selfies?

ALL:

VA: So, if it weren’t for the pandemic, where would you all be now?

LIV:

“Literally never.”

“I think, where I am at the moment (in Wellington studying design), is something I’m really grateful for.”

“I was meant to be doing my OE [overseas experience] – finally getting the chance to travel and see the world. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but everything happens for a reason, and I’ve loved putting my energy into SYSCA.”

“I was gonna move to London and do that early-20s thing where I don’t know what I’m doing but I’m just going to wing it. I’m kind of glad this didn’t happen, because SYSCA feels like my baby and I’m loving watching it grow.”

RUBES: LUCE: VA: Future game plan for SYSCA? LUCE:

“Take over the world. No, just take it from a side hustle into a full hustle, hopefully. Who the heck knows how we’re going to do that though. This is my call for help.”

“I agree, I think we need to level up a bit first.”

RUBES: