Good taste is cultural literacy: knowing the right references, understanding history, and recognising what matters beneath the surface noise. These human elements are precisely what algorithms struggle to replicate.

In a world drowning in thirst for likes, views, and validation, the most radical position is genuine satiation, a complete lack of hunger for digital approval. They are deeply knowledgeable experts whose authority comes from depth of understanding rather than breadth of influence.

Her call to "redefine cool by championing our otherness" positions authentic self-expression as a political act. The personal rejection of algorithmic determinism becomes part of a larger movement reclaiming human agency in multiple domains.

In an era suffocating under infinite content, the most radical act might be saying "this matters" and meaning it.

The curator relationship operates at a fundamentally different psychological level than advertising. An algorithm might know you like blue Oxford shirts, but a tastemaker knows why a particular blue Oxford matters in a lineage of blue Oxfords. This contextual knowing, placing objects in historical and cultural frameworks rather than recommendation ... See more

The critical distinction is that today's gatekeepers derive authority not from institutional power but from demonstrated discernment. Cultural capital now flows to those who can navigate overwhelming abundance with skill and intention.

The critical distinction is that today's gatekeepers derive authority not from institutional power but from demonstrated discernment. Cultural capital now flows to those who can navigate overwhelming abundance with skill and intention.

The curator relationship operates at a fundamentally different psychological level than advertising. An algorithm might know you like blue Oxford shirts, but a tastemaker knows why a particular blue Oxford matters in a lineage of blue Oxfords. This contextual knowing, placing objects in historical and cultural frameworks rather than recommendation ... See more

The 2025 tastemaker navigates this tension with remarkable dexterity. They aren't anti-digital but post-digital, using online tools with intention rather than compulsion. The crucial distinction lies in their relationship with attention: Internet Cool seeks it desperately; Scene Cool appears indifferent. This studied indifference isn't affectation ... See more