internet
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Doppelgänger is window into our collective selves and the machines we’ve built that so easily and efficiently sort us into groups of “us” and “them.” Typically, these kinds of books play a nifty trick on the reader. The subjects, the people we call them , are easily rendered as others, leaving the reader feeling terrified, superior, smug—or all... See more
Michael Estrin • Bad Doppelgänger Vibes
Two things are true. First, the Internet has led to decentralization like never before. People like myself can spin up a website and a newsletter, and bypass the approval of gatekeepers. But at the same time, pop culture is more centralized than ever. From movies to music, books to video games, the most popular content garners more attention than ever. Take movies. Before the year 2000, only 25% of top-grossing movies were prequels, sequels, spinoffs, remakes, reboots, or cinematic universe expansions. By 2010, that number had climbed to 50%. Now, it’s close to 100%. The gravity of the Internet leads to centralization, but savvy media consumers can learn from a wider variety of voices than at any other point in human history
Jay Matthews and
Authenticity simply can’t survive this environment of constant performance – we become alienated from our own actions when every moment is filtered through the question of how it will be received.