Meta’s Muse Charm looks like a Tamagotchi, but it’s tapping into a much newer trend

Is Meta’s just-announced Muse Charm a playful device that will make AI more approachable to everyday consumers, or will it be yet another flop in a long list of AI hardware gadgets that didn’t take off, like the AI Pin, Rabbit, or Friend pendant? Reactions, so far, have been mixed. What the Charm is, however, is on-trend.

Like it or not, the form factor could potentially appeal to Gen Z consumers who, in this post- Labubu era, have already been into various dangling items from keychains and bags. It’s all part of a broader kitschy, retro-inspired shift in their approach to fashion and technology.

Already, Gen Z has created a market for things that dangle, with everything from lip glosses to hand sanitizers to sunblocks to fragrances and more turned into bag charms , primarily targeted at women.

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