Agalia Tan
@agaaalia
Senior Strategist at We Are Social
RADAR Chapter Lead for Singapore
Agalia Tan
bio.site
How can we use technology to maintain a culture?
The mathematical genius Alexander Grothendieck once had a metaphor for solving problems. He suggested that instead of forcing open an impossibly hard kernel with a hammer and chisel, one should simply let it sit in water and wait. Over time, the shell softens and opens with ease. This is also true in writing; time is the only non-substitutable ingr... See more
Epiphanies Come From Waiting
Here’s what attention lavished on scrolling feels like to me. There’s very little texture, or nap to it—it slides and skids. That brief rise or ping we now know is a jolt of delicious dopamine, feels good and soothing at the outset, but it’s not a sensation that sticks, physiologically or otherwise.
Lia Purpura • The Ecology of Attention
I used to fear that AI would trap each of us into our own universe. Now I’m imagining a future that’s far more mundane. It’s one where I use AI to write you a thing. Then you have your AI summarize it. Then you have your AI write back. And then my AI summarizes it. Why wasn’t it all just summarized in the first place? Does anyone need to have a ful... See more
If you use AI to write me that note, don’t expect me to read it
the impact of AI and AI in 2025
the future (extra) mundane…
There will be a constant temptation to do the work in a way that doesn’t make the work good or effective, but instead makes it convenient or easy. The path of least resistance generally doesn’t lead anywhere you’re interested in being, in my experience.
The key isn’t in being obstinate and insisting that only you know the one true path. It’s in rank... See more
The key isn’t in being obstinate and insisting that only you know the one true path. It’s in rank... See more
Jon Crowley • Why you aren’t getting better.
When do you feel like your most authentic self?
Mel Robbins on TikTok
vt.tiktok.com
On the other side of our algorithmic anxiety is a state of numb-ness. The dopamine rushes become inadequate, and the noise and speed of the feeds overwhelming. Our natural reaction is to seek out culture that embraces nothingness, that blankets and soothes rather than challenges or surprises, as powerful artwork is meant to do. Our capacity to be m
... See moreAuthor Ben Short reminds us why the hard work is worth it:
"... looking at the work done and the work still to do, most people would have written the whole thing off as too much sweat for too little gain. But I didn't want an easy life. I wanted a beautiful one."
"... looking at the work done and the work still to do, most people would have written the whole thing off as too much sweat for too little gain. But I didn't want an easy life. I wanted a beautiful one."