it's vibes all the way down
how much of me is me and how much of me is me mediated back to myself via the internet and via people’s responses to me. This of course is the mimetic groove. But it is something that people who are consumed by others must contend with each day. You have to figure out where the meat of content stops and where the rind of your soul is because
... See moreBrandon • Finishing the Bostonians
In this frivolous new world, everything must be pleasing and inoffensive. Everything and everybody gets marketed like an exciting new product—even old, creepy politicians, or ancient film actors, or 80-year-old rock stars.
They all get repackaged and rebranded—thank the digital gods for those apps that make old stuff look new! Everything is now easy
... See moreTed Gioia • Is There a Crisis of Seriousness?
Put simply, the masses hate experts. If forced to choose between the advice of the learned and the vague impressions of other people just like themselves , the masses invariably turn to the latter.
Ted Gioia • 15 Observations on the New Phase in Cultural Conflict
In her piece about Trump as a “podcast bro,” Tressie McMillan Cottom notes that “if you tune out their words (and who among us doesn’t tune out when listening to a podcast) you are still consuming the cadence and texture of the podcast bro style.” That texture remains the same regardless of the content or its political valence; McMillan Cottom
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