cultural convergence

Across food, across fashion and accessories, legal cannabis products, beverages, athleisure, skin care, supplements, and other permutations of consumer packaged goods and apparel, every manufacturing and last-mile strategy has become possible, from dropshipping to just-in-time, from small-batch to make-on-demand. Products begin their life as an unb

It is misleading then to argue that cultural circulation has been democratized. The means of circulation are algorithmic, and they are not subject to democratic accountability or control. Hyperconnectivity has in fact further concentrated power over the means of circulation in the hands of the giant platforms that design and control the architectur

If you’ve never heard of MrBeast , he has somehow become one of the most famous people in the world without really affecting any part of it outside of YouTube

this quote from Jodi Kahn, Neiman Marcus’s vice president of luxury fashion: “Cores, or micro trends, often occur at the intersection of content creation, organic timing, and pop culture, and resonate in a way that encourages engagement, sharing and ultimately shopping.”

When too many people try to adopt the contrarian position at once, it’s no longer contrarian. Mavericks become the new consensus-following herd. If everyone tries to outsmart each other by adopting novel or obscure contrarian positions, it leads to player-versus-player environments where the froth and chop of memetic war makes winning even harder.