Show notes
1) 流行歌曲越來越短
Hit songs are getting shorter
The trend is not as bad as it sounds
Summer hits are getting shorter. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet and Charli XCX’s Brat were full of two-minute tracks, reflecting a broader trend. The average Billboard Hot 100 hit has dropped from 4:22 in 1990 to 3:34 in 2024—the shortest since the 1960s.
Technology has shaped this shift. Early records allowed only a few minutes per side, while CDs and cassettes allowed longer songs. Now, streaming and TikTok reward brevity. Artists are paid after 30 seconds of streaming, prompting quicker hooks and shorter runtimes. TikTok virality also favors snappy, attention-grabbing tunes—though longer songs like Lola Young’s “Messy” can still succeed.
Short songs aren’t necessarily low quality. While some are throwaway tracks like the 34-second “Steve’s Lava Chicken”, others—like Ray Charles’s “Hit the Road Jack”—are timeless classics.
Producers say that short songs, especially for **emerging **artists, are key to grabbing attention. Just like good editing in writing, trimming songs can bring clarity and impact. To stand out in today’s crowded music scene, short and sweet might be the smartest strategy.
熱門歌曲變得越來越短
這個趨勢並沒有看起來那麼糟
今年夏天的熱門歌曲越來越短。Sabrina Carpenter 的《Short n’ Sweet》與 Charli XCX 的《Brat》充滿了兩分鐘左右的曲目，反映出一個更廣泛的趨勢。Billboard Hot 100 榜上的熱門歌曲平均時長，從 1990 年的 4 分 22 秒，下降到 2024 年的 3 分 34 秒，是自 1960 年代以來最短的紀錄。
這一變化受到科技的影響。早期唱片一面只能容納幾分鐘的音樂，後來 CD 與卡帶允許更長的播放時間。如今，串流平台與 TikTok 更偏好簡短作品。串流播放在達到 30 秒後才開始付費，因此藝人更傾向於快速進入副歌並縮短整體長度。TikTok 的爆紅機制也鼓勵創造吸睛、節奏快的音樂——儘管像 Lola Young 的《Messy》這種較長的歌曲也能成功。
短歌不等於低品質。有些可能只是隨性之作（例如只有 34 秒的《Steve’s Lava Chicken》），但也有像 Ray Charles 的經典名曲《Hit the Road Jack》這樣的永恆之作。
製作人表示，對新進歌手來說，短歌是吸引注意力的關鍵。就像寫作時的精簡編輯，刪減歌曲內容能帶來更清晰且有力的表現。在競爭激烈的音樂市場中，「短而精」或許是最聰明的策略。
2) 西方媒體decline, 而中國話語權擴張
China and Russia are deploying powerful new weapons: ideas
The West is retreating from the battle of** the narrative**
As Western media funding declines, China and Russia are aggressively expanding their global media influence. Russia-backed African Initiative in Mali trains journalists with covert ties to its intelligence services. China’s Xinhua now has 37 bureaus across Africa and offers scholarships to shape foreign journalists. Both countries are using platforms like Facebook to amplify their messages—CGTN is now the most-followed news outlet on the site, surpassing CNN and the New York Times.
Russia’s RT and Sputnik are expanding in Africa and Latin America, often sharing resources with local state-run networks. China’s StarTimes is now Africa’s second-largest digital TV provider. Studies show that exposure to Chinese ads correlates with more pro-China media coverage abroad.
Meanwhile, Western broadcasters like Voice of America face budget cuts, and independent outlets like Moldova’s Ziarul de Garda struggle to survive. Turkey is also entering the media fray, launching Somali-language news and hiring ex-BBC staff.
Through “narrative laundering” and strategic ad spending, authoritarian powers are shaping global opinion while the West retreats. BBC chief Tim Davie warns the democratic world is at risk without renewed investment in international broadcasting.
中國與俄羅斯部署的新武器：思想
西方正在從敘事戰場撤退
隨著西方媒體資金縮減，中國與俄羅斯正積極擴張其全球媒體影響力。俄羅斯在馬利的「非洲倡議」訓練記者，背後實際上與其情報機構有關聯；中國新華社則已在非洲設立 37 個分部，並提供獎學金培養外國記者。兩國也透過 Facebook 等平台擴大聲量——中國的 CGTN 已成為該網站上追蹤人數最多的新聞媒體，超越 CNN 和《紐約時報》。
俄羅斯的 RT 與 Sputnik 正在非洲和拉丁美洲擴展，常與當地官方媒體共享資源；中國的星空傳媒（StarTimes）則已成為非洲第二大數位電視供應商。有研究顯示，觀看中國廣告的民眾，更容易接受親中媒體的敘事。
與此同時，西方媒體如美國之音（VOA）正面臨預算削減，獨立媒體如摩爾多瓦的《Ziarul de Garda》也艱難維生。土耳其也加入戰局，推出索馬利語新聞，並聘請前 BBC 員工。
透過「敘事漂白」與廣告投資，威權政權正在重塑全球輿論，而西方卻節節敗退。BBC 總裁提姆·戴維（Tim Davie）警告：若不重新投資國際廣播，民主世界將面臨失語風險。
3) 全球趨勢: 大家越來越喜歡生女孩!
Leaders | Phew, it’s a girl!
The stunning decline of the preference for having boys
Millions of girls were aborted for being girls. Now parents often lean towards them
The global trend of sex-selective abortions—millions of girls aborted for being girls—is sharply declining. In 2000, 1.6 million girls were “missing” at birth; in 2025, that number is down to 200,000. Countries like China, India, and South Korea, once plagued by skewed sex ratios, have seen major corrections. This shift reflects the weakening of deep-rooted sexism and brings social benefits: fewer “bare branches”—men unable to marry—means less violence and instability.
Remarkably, in some places, mild girl preference is emerging. Parents now increasingly choose girls through IVF, adoption, and even family planning.** Reasons include perceptions that girls are easier to raise or better caretakers, and growing concern over boys’ struggles: they lag in education, face higher incarceration rates, and lack role models in schools.**
Governments are exploring boy-focused interventions, like delaying school entry or boosting vocational training. Meanwhile, cheap early pregnancy tests and future gene-editing may further shift family planning.
The decline of gendercide is worth celebrating. But a new imbalance—this time favoring girls—could bring fresh challenges, especially in dating and relationships. A future with more women than men might be peaceful, but not without complications.
領袖專欄｜呼！是女孩！
對男孩偏好驟降的驚人趨勢
曾有數百萬女孩僅因性別遭到墮胎，如今父母卻越來越偏好她們
全球因性別選擇而進行的墮胎現象——數百萬女孩僅因為是女性而被終止生命——如今正迅速下降。2000 年，出生時「失蹤」的女孩數量達 160 萬；到了 2025 年，這個數字已降至 20 萬。中國、印度與南韓這些曾飽受性別比例失衡困擾的國家，已見明顯改善。這項轉變顯示根深蒂固的性別歧視正在減弱，並帶來社會正面影響：如未婚男性（被稱為「光棍」）數量減少，暴力與社會不穩也隨之下降。
更令人驚訝的是，在某些地區，對女孩的溫和偏好正悄然浮現。透過試管嬰兒、收養或生育規劃，越來越多父母選擇女孩。原因包括：女孩被認為較容易教養、日後能照顧父母，以及對男孩處境日益憂心——他們在學業表現落後、犯罪率更高，學校中也缺乏男性榜樣。
各國政府開始思考針對男孩的政策干預，例如延後入學年齡、加強職業訓練等。與此同時，早期血液性別檢測與未來可能普及的基因編輯技術，也可能進一步影響家庭的生育選擇。
性別歧視式墮胎的衰退值得慶賀。但新的性別失衡——這次是偏愛女孩——可能引發新的挑戰，特別是在戀愛與婚姻關係上。雖然女性多於男性的世界或許更加和平，但未必就沒有複雜問題。
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