Agalia Tan

American society’s extreme individualism, electronic financial system, and thoroughly impersonal consumer retail setup mean that most adults can obtain 99% of their essential needs without real social networking of any kind. The system we live in is established mostly on impersonal trust. Every ordinary product or service in America is available wi... See more

I think of scenes as very loose organizations of people associated with the creative process with a very loose but omnipotent hierarchy that can sometimes change from minute to minute.1

The thing that makes people most uncomfortable about scenes socially, is how they subject everyone involved to think about their social standing. I’ve got bad news f... See more

The data informs and influences us, but we choose based on the totality of our experience

Previously, a lot of short-form video content lacked a format. Creators were obsessed with aiming for one-off viral hits that attract large audiences. The problem is that variability is incredibly hard and without a format, the audiences are usually drive-by. Now we’re seeing well-structured ideas that are still short-form, but thanks to the format... See more

Thinly veiled insults (“Really?”/“That’s weird”/“…interesting”) are often compliments delivered by people who are at odds with themselves. Take them in stride.

Being your own hype woman isn’t about arrogance or bragging. It’s about reclaiming your power, owning your story, and refusing to downplay your brilliance just to make others comfortable. It’s about looking in the mirror and giving yourself the pep talks you need, the ones that push you to keep going, to dream bigger, to take that leap.

Some companies go all in on the ecstasy - ‘here’s our magical vision for the future’. Others commit to the laundry - look at our rich feature-set isn’t it amazing?”

If you're not working hard, you're probably wasting your time.