Agalia Tan

It’s striking that TikTok, on the surface, prizes individuality but what truly sustains the platform is imitation and repetition and the all-too-human desire to be just like everyone else. Despite the many charming or strange or jaw-dropping videos on TikTok, far more of the videos are fairly mundane. They receive little attention, but the creators... See more

We very often do not have the time to create what we need by ourselves. It’s reasonable to ask who on Earth is expected to return our emails or make our dinners while we wile away our time crafting. We’ve increased the distance between ourselves and the things we need or want—and also made for ourselves a steeper learning curve for meeting our own ... See more

"The key is to enjoy hanging out on the edge. That is, you find it interesting to attempt things one step beyond where you are right now. It could be the edge of your ability or the edge of your knowledge or the edge of your network.

If you reach — but just a little — and you do it every week, then you'll take on challenges that are manageable enou... See more

when we say “meaning”—or “meaning orientation”—what we’re really talking about is a reading of the world that makes sense. Like: I know who I am. I know what’s going on here. I understand the rules people are playing by. I have a sense of what’s likely to happen if I do X. That’s the foundation. So, my first take at defining “meaning” would be simp... See more

There’s no harm in feeling unfinished. The harm is in assuming that’s a problem.

Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman on making the most of your opportunities:

"This is something a teacher told me years ago, and he's right:

If you're auditioning for something that you know you're never going to get—or maybe you read the script and didn't even like it, but you still have to go—if you get a chance to act in a room that somebody else has ... See more

Media companies will increasingly have to choose what to own and what to co-pilot. Not every new venture needs to exist as an O&O product, nor does it have to exist within a centralized environment. Licensing out characters to various retailers, or allowing small merchants to use beloved characters in their own designs sought out by different c... See more