Saved by sari
It’s All So … Premiocre
For those without maker skills, consumer connoisseurship of “craft” commodity categories like previous hipster mainstays coffee and denim became a popular choice of hobby and profession. This in turn contributed to the hundreds of restaurants and brands that all claimed to be part of the movement towards “local,” small production scales, heritage, ... See more
subpixel space • After Authenticity
The creator of Real Housewives of Clapton had a theory for why niche consumer objects have become such potent symbols online. For millennials and Gen Z-ers, material gain is more about these small, semi-expensive life-style choices—oat milk in your latte—than about bigger ones such as buying a house or having children, which are much harder to achi
... See moreKyle Chayka • Making Memes for the Global “Oat Milk Élite” | the New Yorker
alexi gunner added
“premium mediocre” (Rao, 2017), which emphasizes merch and logos that turn everyone willing to spend $600 on a T-shirt, a branded hat, or a belt into a luxury consumer.
Ana Andjelic • The Business of Aspiration: How Social, Cultural, and Environmental Capital Changes Brands
Is consumerism ingrained in my very being, or does an algorithm steer me toward materialism? Why do we admire empty spaces as status symbols, yet criticize the rich for seeming disconnected from society and living exclusive lives? Perhaps a snapshot of a lavish hotel room holds more allure because it promises something tangible, unlike the depth of... See more