nytimes.com

THE DARK MODE SHIFT
I've written about the 'return of opulence,' but after watching the past few months unfold and reading Sean Monahan's (@8ghtb4ll) The Boom Boom Aesthetic, it feels more like a shift from 'light mode' to 'dark mode.'
For the last 15 years, there’s been a cultural push to... See more
It feels like we’re in a moment of repudiating the modernist impulse that says we’re happily abandoning the present as we rocket into the future. I think the whole return of retro design—the artisanal movement, and the coveting of everything handmade—is evidence of this. It’s as if we’re struggling to create a new notion of time,
Debbie Millman • Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits
Clearly the cultural pressure to achieve a unique self is old, strong, and not unique to hipsters, so why did the authenticity drive spin out of control after CE 2000? One possible reason is that the hundreds of studies on authenticity in tourism and subcultures have also been read and in many cases sponsored by business thinkers who directly... See more
subpixel space • After Authenticity
“What’s aspirational has changed,” says Beth McGroarty, research director at the nonprofit Global Wellness Institute. Pressures to be perfectly happy, beautiful, and “healthy” are being replaced with a more realistic, relaxed, and less consumerist culture.