As Shumon Basar put it, we're living in the era of LoreCore: 'a prevalent stage of reality in which we're all characters; characters who are also audiences.' From Coquette to Mermaid fashion, from Doe to Siren Eyes, codified styles are 'guiding' our characters' journey, while optimizing it for digital consumption.
The problem goes deeper than this. Increasingly our tech also opens us up to new vectors of anxiety. Regardless of whether you’re working more or less, your nervous system is now plugged into a neurotic and hypersensitive globe-spanning information system that’s constantly pushing unnecessary things into your consciousness.
My perennial thought will always be, if the internet didn't exist in the state that it did now, we would have so many rich, interesting scenes, because people have to work to share that.
Between Entities and Identities: The Internet of Egregores
Exploring the concept of egregores, the text examines how collective online identities and fandoms manifest as influential forces within digital platforms, shaping social dynamics and individual experiences in the digital landscape.
“even a ‘main character’ on the timeline means partaking in a conscious performance and leaning into a particular version of a public character”
Despite all the crises we face – the cost of living, climate change, AI – any of which should surely be enough material to inspire real and meaningful art, the overwhelm of information paired with exhausting post-capitalist forces has created an atmosphere that is nihilistic and excruciatingly mid.
Digital platforms are largely devoted to making users consume more, faster—think of TikTok’s frenetic “For You” feed or Spotify’s automated playlists. Curators slow down the unending scroll and provide their followers with a way of savoring culture, rather than just inhaling it, developing a sense of appreciation
“A post for the creatives who just need to hide
away. It is safe to hide away for a while darling. Momentum
won’t leave. You will make momentum. You won’t lose
opportunities, you will make them. Because in the quiet
you will find more and more art. In the silence ideas will... See more