Psychologist: “Design influences behavior.”
Neuroscientist: “Design influences behavior.”
Uncivil engineer: “It’s not like my road design influences driver behavior.”
Every day, preventable crashes are destroying lives because transportation planners and engineers don’t understand that design influences behavior. (I’m being charitable by assuming they don’t understand.)
Drivers respond to the built environment much the same way water responds to a riverbed. The shape, width, and surface conditions of the riverbed determine the waters speed, turbulence, and direction. Likewise, the width of a road, presence of visual cues, curvature, intersections, and surrounding land use dictate how fast, aggressively, or cautiously people drive.
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The grocery store model
If water sounds like too much of a stretch as a comparison, consider a grocery store. If you want to create public spaces that are intuitive and inviting, and encourage people to engage with their surroundings, then the best place to perfect these skills might be the grocery store.
Retail giants understand and exploit the fact that design influences how people move through space. A grocery store is a real place where influencing behavior determines whether a business thrives or dies. Store layout is based on the art of persuasion. Its all about creating an environment that encourages customers to buy more products as easily as possible. Any parent knows this, but its not just about candy at the cash register. Stores large and small invest time and money understanding human behavior, so they know which techniques work the best to influence buying habits.
Expectations and habits
Our brains are hardwired to react to buildings and spaces based on their visual characteristics. Tragically, those of us in the infrastructure business werent taught about how psychology and neuroscience directly relate to everything we plan, design, and construct. Street design doesnt just influence behaviorit creates expectations and habits, often without conscious thought. For example:
1. Lane Width. Wide lanes signal to the brain: “You’re safe going fast.” Narrow lanes or painted-edge lanes create a sensation of compression, signaling: “Stay alert, slow down.” Wider lanes increase speed, which multiplies injury severity rates exponentially when collisions occur.
2. Sight Lines and Curvature. Long, straight sight lines encourage higher speeds. The farther ahead a driver can see, the more they feel they can safely accelerate. Curved roads, particularly in urban contexts, force natural speed modulation because the drivers sight distance shrinks and perceived risk increases.
3. Street Trees and Vertical Elements. Streets with trees, light posts, benches, and buildings close to the curb create a “street wall,” giving drivers the impression that the space is tight and shared. A bare, wide-open road without vertical edges feels boundless and invites acceleration. Researchers call this “edge friction. The more visual complexity and physical containment along the sides of a street, the slower and more carefully people drive.
4. Speed Limits vs. Speed Cues. Posted speed limits are barely noticed if street design suggests otherwise. A street engineered for 45 mph but posted at 25 mph will still see speeds closer to 45 unless strong visual and physical constraints are introduced. Design speed always wins over posted speed.
5. Lighting and Nighttime Design. Overly bright, highway-style lighting often promotes a false sense of security and encourages speeding. Moderate, pedestrian-scale lighting at consistent intervals supports slower, more cautious driving.
Subconscious instructions
The human brain processes the street as a series of subconscious instructions. The street is constantly whispering to drivers: “Relax and go fast,” or “Pay attention and slow down.” No amount of signage or enforcement will undo the basic psychological script written by engineers. Maybe transportation professionals should start their workday by looking at pictures of horrific crashes on streets that followed status quo design. At some point, someone on staff will have the courage to say, “What if design influences behavior?”
If this is piquing your interest, check out the Human Factors of Infrastructure Design and Operations research committee, which is part of the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Theyre cranking out tons of important work thats never put into practice by professionals in the infrastructure business.
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White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney Thursday at 6:07 p.m. local time, signaling the end of the conclave and the election of a new pope to lead the Catholic Church. Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost of the United States is now the 267th pope, taking the name Pope Leo XIV.
Just a minute later, the folks behind Pope Crave broke their silence: We dont claim him, they posted to their 93,000 followers, beating even the Vatican News portal to the update. His views better have changed since 2012 to be more in line with Papa Francis or else . . . apostasy! they added.
If youre late to the party, Pope Crave is a parody account modeled after celebrity news sources like Pop Crave and Pop Base thats been posting updates on the papal vacancy with a mix of on-the-ground reporting and diva sightings.
We don’t have official press credentials, but we are very determined people, admins of the account told Time in a recent interview.
The account began as an X fan page devoted to Conclave, the 2024 film starring Ralph Fiennes and its heavily memed awards season run. Pope Crave is run by Susan Bin, an artist from Dallas, and Noelia Caballero, a lawyer based in Ontario, Canada.
Since launching, the account has grown into a broader community, spawning a dedicated Discord server and a charity zine that has raised more than $50,000 for the Intersex Human Rights Fund, the Freedom Fund, and Librarians and Archivists with Palestinecharities Bin and Caballero say reflect the views of the film.
When news of Pope Franciss death broke in late April, Pope Crave quickly shifted focus, offering real-time updates and explaining the conclave process through memes. (The account even managed to fact-check Politico.)
The last conclave happened in 2013before TikTok existed. This time, with social media fully embedded in everyday life, the papal succession became a fandom event and a platform to support the most progressive candidates.
Pope Crave officially endorsed Cardinal Tagle, who gained a viral following on TikTok for his resurfaced rendition of John Lennons Imagine and his pro-LGBTQ+ stance. Another fan favorite was Cardinal Zuppi, dubbed the pope of the people.
Now, with the conclave concluded and Pope Leo XIV installed, the question remains: Whats next for a papal meme account?
Pope crave im scared is it over, one X user asked. The official reply: No my friend the time to meme is now when times are dark.
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Its been made clear in the past few months that the uncertainty were facing as a country has impacted almost every level of society. And its not lost on me that there is an overwhelming amount of pressure on our state leaders in the current political and economic environment. Unfortunately, Im not confident that these leaders are using their power to tackle the deep-rooted issues that our country continues to facelike the growing wealth gap.
In my home base of Albany, New York there are over 1,000 abandoned properties with the number of unhoused people rising 38% since 2022. Governor Hochul claims to have plans to reinvent New York City, the Finger Lakes and the Hudson Valleyrecently announcing a $412 million proposalbut despite budget approvals, weve yet to see a concrete plan and timeline that will move the investment forward.
Take it a step further. The wealth gap in America isnt just growing, its accelerating. And the reality is, we can do something about this. According to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, from 1981 to 2021, income for the top 20% of earners in the U.S. jumped 165%. For the middle and lowest earners? Just 33% and 38%.
Why leaders should be frustrated
Ive grown tired of waiting for government leaders to step up and fight. I no longer expect sweeping reform from the top. So, Ive focused on what I can do from the ground up. Four years ago, my wife Lisa and I started Business for Good in New Yorks Capital Region. Our mission is to close the wealth gap. We invest directly in communities: supporting small businesses, affordable housing, offering marketing and HR resources, mentoring entrepreneurs, and creating ecosystems that allow people to riseand stayout of poverty.
Its working. But its not enough. Not unless more of us get off the sidelines. Thats why Im calling on other leaders to join me in replicating the model that weve used for Business for Good. All it takes is simple, powerful steps that any business leader can follow to use their privilege for good. These are not theoreticalthey work. And theyre built on a belief that I hold deeply: Privilege can be shared, but only by those who have it. The courage to act is contagious.
Here’s where we start
Change starts with one simple but powerful action: listening. We must be willing to actively hear from those who are directly impacted by the growing rise of uncertainty and inequity.
Next, do your homework. Deepen your understanding of inequities and the impacts of rising uncertainty and systemic exclusion. Be courageous, as individual learning and growth is required to drive real change.
Then, confrontand speak up. Acknowledge your own biases as well as share information and resources. If you have a platform, use ityour voice, your company, your community, social media, etc. Remember that if words matter, actions speak louder.
We also need to partner with local government leaders and policy makers who are committed to dismantling barriers and fighting for each and every member of our communities. For us, at Business for Good, we work with local leaders in the Albany/New York Capital Region as part of our pilot program.
Showing up matters. Leverage your privilege for good by sharing your opinion, engaging in activities that support belonging, starting a conversation, and connecting within your local community.
Engagement is key. That means having hard conversations with colleagues, friends, and family. Be brave enough to speak up. We each have a role to play in breaking the silence and building awareness.
Finally, invest. Real impact takes resources.
Actionable ways to drive change
At Business for Good, weve put our money where our mission is, fighting for our neighbors and communities. Weve invested over $1 million to help create the Albany Black Chamber of Commercea hub for community leaders, entrepreneurs, and small businesses to thrive. Weve supported a local community center focused on improving the lives of those in need from youngest to oldest. Were working with like-minded leaders in the private sector to tackle issues that our local government is not: housing and employment to name a few.
Other leaders and cities can and should take this approach to replicate the progress weve seen in our community.
I recently read a set of community values posted in Dubai. And while this was halfway across the world and it wasnt my own community, one message struck me: A successful society is one that lifts everyone up. Lets bring that idea home.
Ed Mitzen is cofounder of Business for Good.
There is a nationwide talent war for frontline, skilled workers, and unfortunately, too many companies are losing. Turnover among deskless workers, who account for about 80% of the workforce globally, is high, and they are notoriously difficult to train through traditional training programs. Corporate training solutions that work for someone sitting behind a desk rarely work for someone on a job site or factory floor.
HR professionals cited employee engagement, retention, and recruitment as the top management challenges within the deskless workforce, according to a Society for Human Resource Management study. Unlike office workers with predictable schedules and easy access to digital tools, deskless employees are mobile and harder to reach. As a result, 79% of HR leaders cite learning and development as the biggest talent challenge for deskless teams, followed by retention and onboarding cited by 75%.
Training can address each of those issues, but even when available, it’s often disconnected from actual business outcomes and lacks measurable value. Why? Because training frontline workers is fundamentally different from training office-based employees. Training and onboarding in-the-field workers is complicated and complex, so many companies are slower to invest in it.
Recruit, Ramp, and Retain
And yet, the frontline workforce is a business-critical system. Executives love to say, “People are our most important asset.” However, when asked what systems they use to recruit, ramp, and retain employees, most stumble, which tells you everything. The workforce isnt always treated like the strategic system it is.
To connect training to business value, we need to view the entire employee journeyrecruit, ramp, retainas an integrated pipeline. Of those three stages, ramp is the most important. Its the anchor. Companies that invest heavily in ramping programs find it easier to recruit and are more successful at retaining. When you invest in frontline workers early, they stay longer. This is especially true for skilled and industrial workers.
Studies show that the majority of employees say training programs positively affect their engagement, and 94% say training encourages them to stay at a company longer. In contrast, lack of career progression is one of the top reasons employees leave.
So what does ramp look like for most frontline workers today? Most often it is job shadowing. Theres value in that, especially when mentorship is involved, but the challenge is that it doesnt scale. Not every employee is a good trainer. As experienced workers retire, mentorship will become harder to deliver consistently, especially in industries facing labor and skills gaps.
Digital Training Allows For Customization
The goal, then, is to build a digital training system that can act as a mentor but can scale. Simulations have already been proven in aviation, medicine, and the military. They offer the closest thing to hands-on training and will become even more accessible as spending on technology for deskless workers increases.
When digital learning is done well, it mimics great teachers by not just showing people how to do their jobs but also challenging them to understand why it’s done that way. It also provides assessments, which is critical in ramping programs. A strong system meets new workers where they are, quickly understanding their current capabilities and tailoring training accordingly.
Digital training also supports personalized learning plans, delivering key lessons in short, targeted bursts that can teach whats needed to improve job performance and support career advancement. Too often, training is treated as a one-size-fits-all solution without alignment to the business strategy. AI will bring even more customization to learning, making it more relevant. But to tie it back to business outcomes, companies must use data to track progress and impact and then align it to company goals.
Retain Frontline Talent
Companies that see real results are those that define success, design training programs that build the skills to get there, and actively measure how training improves operations. Were already seeing this investment mindset emerge in places like private equity-backed roll-ups of skilled trades companies. These firms are building standardized, scalable training systems across dozens of operating companies to drive profitability. In doing so, theyre setting a model that others can follow.
Winning the war for frontline talent requires a shift in thinking. Leaders need to ask themselves:
Do we treat workforce development like other critical business systems?
Can the knowledge gained translate to measurable business outcomes?
Do we have a learning and development foundation that is connected to the business?
Can our existing training system leverage the power of AI to deliver personalized, engaging training that derives even more value for employees and the company?
Those who can answer yes to these questions are creating a system that recruits faster, ramps better, and retains longer, all of which help transform workforce development from a cost center into a competitive advantage.
Doug Donovan is CEO and founder of Interplay Learning.
White smoke at the Vatican can only signal one thing: A new pope has been elected. But online? A flurry of memes are roasting the traditions of the pope’s Midwestern roots.
Just hours after the conclave concluded, electing Chicago-born Cardinal Robert Francis Provost as pontiff (who will now go by the name Pope Leo XIV), users all over social media are taking part in stereotype-laden antics, associating the pope with deep-dish pizza, sports, and, of course, Malört.
New Chicago Pope byu/mikraas inchicago
The r/Chicago Reddit thread is flooding with papacy-related memes. In one post, an image of a Catholic priest holding the sacramental bread has been edited to turn the wafer into a Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. The post’s caption reads: “Coming this Sunday to a Vatican near you.” (Never mind that most Chicagoans prefer thin crust.)
the communion wafers are deep dish now— Armand Domalewski (@ArmandDoma) May 8, 2025
Another user made a similar joke on X, saying “the communion wafers are deep dish now.”
Da Pope byu/StinkStar inchicago
Another X post poked fun at Malört, a self-punishing spirit popular among Chicago bars, saying: “Cannot wait for holy water & wine to be replaced by Malört & Old Style.”
AI images that feature the pontiff sporting Chicago Bears merchandise are widely circulating on social media. In one image posted on Reddit, a user commented: “Chicago produced a pope before a 4000 yd. passer.”
On TikTok, one user posted a skit pretending to be the new pope. “I just got a call from God, saying that deep-dish pizza is real pizza,” he said. A user commented on the video, saying: “Blessed be the children of God across the entire world, except those who live in Green Bay.”
An American Pope from Chicago. God help us all.pic.twitter.com/b8VmtR7O9R— chefkids (@girlflopping) May 8, 2025
Many users on X also likened the pope to the fictional Chicago-native protagonist of The Bear, featuring clips from the TV show. A post featuring Chef Carmy screaming is captioned: “An American Pope from Chicago. God help us all.”
the pope from chicago receiving a message from god pic.twitter.com/leYJd6liu9— patrick. (@imPatrickT) May 8, 2025
Another post, referencing stills from the show’s Season 1 finale, was captioned: “the pope from Chicago receiving a message from god.” The message in question? “I love you dude. Let it rip.”
As memes continue to flood social media, the internet’s reaction might best be described by one user on X: “Announced to my office (we live in Chicago) about the new pope, and the immediate millennial reaction was, “Oh, the memes are gonna be amazing.”
Shares of Krispy Kreme Inc. (NASDAQ: DNUT) plunged over 28% on Thursday after the donut-and-coffee chain said it will no longer pay out its quarterly dividend and that it was reassessing the deployment of its planned McDonald’s rollout, and fell short of earnings expectations, according to Bloomberg.
Krispy Kreme’s earnings missed expectations for the first quarter of 2025, with the company posting an EPS (earnings per share) of negative $0.05, coming in below the EPS forecast of negative $0.04. It posted revenue of $375.2 million, within previous guidance but below a forecast of $385.11 million.
Following the announcement, Krispy Kremes stock fell by 28.18% in premarket trading, and was still down nearly 25% by the time of market close. According to data from InvestingPro, shares of the stock have fallen over 65% in the past year. At the same time, the company said it is ending its quarterly dividend in order to pay down its mounting debt.
Our ability to become a bigger Krispy Kreme requires that we become better, and we are taking swift and decisive action to pay down debt, de-leverage the balance sheet and drive sustainable, profitable growth, Krispy Kreme CEO Josh Charlesworth said.
Krispy Kreme, which started selling its donuts at McDonald’s in March 2024, and currently sells at some 2,400 burger chain locations, said it won’t be expanding that rollout in the second quarter after sales slowed below projects, CNBC reported.
Both companies had previously said the doughnuts would be sold in all McDonalds U.S. locations by the end of 2026. Like many fast casual chains, McDonald’s is seeing less traffic in its U.S. stores, as consumers, worried about skyrocketing prices and a potential recession, are spending less.
Fast Company has reached out to McDonald’s for comment.
Like many companies, the donut maker also pulled its financial outlook due to the uncertainty surrounding pricing and sales caused by President Donald’s Trump’s tariff wars.
The well-known doughnut company, famous for its iconic Original Glazed doughnut, also sells beverages like coffee, and provides catering services.
Krispy Kreme has had significant operational challenges recently after a cybersecurity breach last November disrupted its online ordering systems, causing ongoing disruptions to digital sales, which make up 15.5% of the companys doughnut-shop sales.
Grab your boots and cowboy hats. The 60th Academy of Country Music Awards will have you two-stepping in your living room tonight (Thursday, May 8). This big anniversary show is sure to be an old-fashioned good time. Heres everything you need to know about this celebration of country music, including how to tune in.
A brief history of the Academy of Country Music and the ACM Awards
Believe it or not, the Academy was founded in Los Angeles, California: A group of country music lovers led by Tommy Wiggins, Eddie Miller, and Mickey and Chris Christensen founded the organization in 1964.
Their goal was to promote country music and artists, such as Merle Haggard, in the west. As part of this larger mission, the ACM Awards were created in 1966. The signature hat trophy would debut two years later.
Who is hosting the 2025 ACM Awards?
Fast-forward to 2025 and country music superstar Reba McEntire is serving as host. This isnt her first rodeo, either. It marks year 18 of her having this honor, the most of any emcee.
Who is performing at the 2025 ACM Awards?
Beyond her hosting duties, McEntire will perform. This awards show is famous for its unconventional duet partners, and this year is no exception. Viewers can expect mashups from Rascal Flatts and the Backstreet Boys, Jelly Roll and Shaboozey, and Cody Johnson and Brooks & Dunn.
Solo artists such as Megan Moroney, Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Wynonna Judd, and LeAnn Rimes will also wow audiences.
Lets not forget groups such as Dan + Shay and Sugarland, who will also perform.
Who is up for the Entertainer of the Year?
Before we get to one of the biggest awards of the night, we have to mention the Triple Crown award.
This has nothing to do with horses but the concept behind it is similar. This lifetime achievement award of sorts will be presented to Keith Urban because he has already won the New Artist, Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year awards.
If Luke Combs takes home Entertainer of the Year in 2025, he could be next in line for the Triple Crown himself. This 35-year-old North Carolinian already has New Artist and Artist of the Year under his belt.
Combs is up against some fierce competition in Kelsea Ballerini, Cody Johnson, Jelly Roll, Chris Stapleton, Morgan Wallen, and Lainey Wilson. Viewers will have to tune in to see who takes home the coveted hat.
How can I watch the 2025 ACM Awards?
To see all the action on the Ford Center at The Star stage in Frisco, Texas, all you have to do is stream it live on Amazon Prime Video.
The event begins tonight (Thursday, May 8) at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
According to the academy, you dont even need a Amazon Prime membership to watch the telecastjust a desire to have a good time.
If Prime isnt your jam, you can also watch on the AmazonMusic channel on Twitch.
Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just elected as the new leader of the Catholic Church, seems to have similar views on the environment as his predecessor, Pope Francis. Prevost, who is taking the name Pope Leo XIV, has been outspoken about the need for urgent climate action and voiced his support for the use of climate technology such as solar panels and EVs.
Pope Francis, who died in April, made the climate crisis a central issue of his papacy. He urged fossil fuel executives to transition to clean energy, calling the rising greenhouse gas levels disturbing and a cause for real concern; he declared a global climate emergency; and he launched a project to power the Vatican with solar panels, among other acts.
Now Pope Leo XIV seems poised to follow in Franciss environmental footsteps. When Francis spoke, in November 2024, about how climate change would impact the worlds most vulnerable populations, and how it requires global cooperation to address, Cardinal Prevost shared his support for climate action, too. Prevost stressed it is time to move from words to action, ” on the climate, Vatican News reported at the time.
Prevost also warned against the consequences of unchecked technological development, while reiterating the churchs commitment to protecting the environment through actions like the Vaticans solar panels or by shifting to electric vehicles.
In Catholicism, there’s the belief that God has given humans dominion over nature, a directive that has been interpreted by some as domination over the planet and its creatures. Pope Francis, however, championed an interpretation that advocated less for exploitation and more for harmony with nature, and the need to care for it. Cardinal Prevost has echoed this idea, saying, per Vatican News, that dominion over nature should not become tyrannical, but instead must be a relationship of reciprocity with the environment.
Prevost hasn’t been vocal about his positions broadly, so it’s not exactly clear what environmental actions he’ll take during his papacy. But his bio on the College of Cardinals Report, a website run by Catholic journalists, notes that he is reportedly very close to Franciss vision regarding the environment, outreach to the poor and migrants, and meeting people where they are.
On 212 E. 141st Place in Dolton, Illinoisjust a few blocks from Andys Hot Dogs and Chucks Gun Shop & Pistol Rangeresides a typical five-bedroom, three-bath, 1,200-square-foot brick home that is about to become a landmark. Because it’s the childhood home of Robert Prevost, the cardinal who has just been elected to become the next pope.
[Photo: Redfin]
Listed on Redfin for $199,000 at the time of publishing, the home matches an address and tax records first reported by South Cook News. It also aligns with Prevosts personal history. Born and raised in the south suburbs of Chicago, he spent most of his life in the region.
The home, constructed in 1949, is typical of this neighborhood, which is filled with single-family homes built in the mid-century as families were attracted to lawn life and nearby train lines that could bring them into the city. Dolton is an area that HBOs show Southside once perfectly dubbed, the south side of the south side.
[Photo: Redfin]
Bordering Chicago, its part of a few suburban communities that still share the citys grid before golf courses and cul-de-sacs take over. These areas housed much of Chicagos Irish Catholic community before white flight in the 1990s dispersed them north, south, or east into Indiana. Prevost himself kicked around several south suburban cities, having lived in Homewood, New Lenox, and Olympia Fields.
Notably, the home was purchased in May 2024 for $66,000 by a flipper who renovated it to include granite and subway tile in the kitchen, and what looks to be refinished wood (or new vinyl) flooring throughout. The property has been on the market for over 100 days and has been through one price reduction already. But if its rehabbers had had any clue about the coming results of the conclave, perhaps they could have saved the effort.
A hot new high-stakes competition show went viral on the internet this week that had fans placing bets, joining fantasy leagues, tweeting live updates, and posting daily recaps. But it wasnt Love Island or Survivor. It was the conclave.
The conclave is the Catholic Churchs traditional process for picking a new pope. It involves sequestering dozens of cardinals in a locked-down Sistine Chapel for an indefinite period, during which time they use a series of votes to elect a new pontiff. After each ballot, an old-fashioned system is used to let the world know whether a pope has been chosen: If the decision has not been made, black smoke issues from the Chapels chimney; if it has, the smoke is white.
This afternoon, white smoke issued after less than two days, announcing that Robert Francis Prevost, who has taken the papal name Leo XIV, had been chosenand marking an end to a brief subculture of ultradedicated conclave fans.
Weeks before the conclave began, fans were already turning the election into a quasi-sporting event, analyzing each of the 133 contenders and placing bets on their chances of success. Once the conclave was actually underway, cardinal fever only became more intenseand more strange. These are four of the oddest ways that conclave-watchers kept up with the news:
24/7 chimney watch
For the most dedicated of pope watchers, the official Vatican News channel hosted a 24/7 close-up livestream of the Sistine Chapels chimney, where the much-awaited smoke issues after each ballot.
Despite the fact that the video was largely unchangingexcept for the occasional seagull sounds or chatter from the street belowit consistently held the attention of thousands of viewers since going live yesterday. By the time white smoke was issued around noon ET Thursday, viewership nearly topped 300,000.
Pope Crave
For anyone whos a frequent X user, youre probably familiar with the account Pop Crave, which updates followers with pop culture news every few hours. Well, now theres that, but for the next pope.
Pope Crave is keeping pope enthusiasts in the loop with a near-constant stream of conclave-related memes, photos, and, of course, real-time updates. The account started as a fan page for the film Conclave, but has since turned into a full-on conclave news outlet in its own right, working with ad hoc correspondents on the ground in Rome to deliver forthcoming details about the election process to its more than 70,000 followers.
In an interview with Time magazine, the accounts main administrator, Susan Bin, said her long-term goal for the account is for the Holy See to hire us so we can make official Vatican memes.
Today, Pope Crave broke the news that a new pope had been selected minutes before many major news networks.
Polymarket
Thousands of people have already joined conclave-based fantasy leagues and put down their hard-earned cash on the cardinal they like best.
On the crypto trading platform Polymarket, Who will be the next Pope? was the current top trending query on Tuesday, amassing over $27 million in trade volume. A handy color-coded chart kept track of how each candidate was faring among bidders. Just after white smoke issued from the chapel, but before Prevost’s election was announced, bids on Cardinal Pietro Parolin shot into a significant lead, followed by the internets favorite, Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle.
Prevost’s election evidently came as a shock to most bidders, considering that his chances to win were hovering around 1% (and sometimes even edging closer to zero) in the days leading up to the decision.
Conclave Island
Frequent reality TV-enjoyers may have found it difficult to ignore that the conclave has a striking number of features in common with their favorite shows: a select group of individuals, sequestered from the rest of the world in an intense competition, which is also clouded in layers of mystery and drama. This certainly was not lost on many fans of the drag competition show RuPaul’s Drag Race, who took to captioning iconic images of the show with the conclave and speculating about what kind of cash prize the next pope might receive.
Over on TikTok, creator Rob Anderson (@heartthrobert) took the reality TV comparison to the next level with a series of videos he called the Pope Games. Each installment was dedicated to explaining how the conclave works, as well as digging into all of the juicy gossip surrounding this years election, in a style that evoked the reality TV show Love Island.
In his “Day 1 recap,” posted yesterday evening, Anderson began: Day one of the Pope Games is complete. 133 of these singles have entered the villa: no technology or contact with the outside world, leaving the ring light at the door, losing their Duolingo streaks. He went on to explain a shocking smear campaign, touched on reports that cardinals watched the Conclave movie to prepare for the election, and foreshadowed the schedule for day two.
