Taste

The 2025 tastemaker navigates this tension with remarkable dexterity. They aren't anti-digital but post-digital, using online tools with intention rather than compulsion. The crucial distinction lies in their relationship with attention: Internet Cool seeks it desperately; Scene Cool appears indifferent. This studied indifference isn't affectation... See more

That’s why taste is a responsibility. It’s not just about what you like. It’s about what you allow in.

Taste is how you protect your mental environment.

I have yet to find a single writer who’s grown a serious following without some kind of niche.

That doesn’t mean boxing yourself in. It means starting with something clear enough for people to get what you’re about, and specific enough for the right readers to find you.

The first six months are for you. Experiment like crazy. Write about anything.... See more

WILD BARE THOUGHTS

How I Use AI to Sharpen My Taste and Pursue the Real Me

because taste is self-pursuit—and self-pursuit requires taste

stepfanie tyler

Jul 16, 2025

∙ Paid

Most people think AI makes you lose yourself. That it kills taste. That algorithms flatten us into sameness, rewarding short attention spans, cheap aesthetics, and dopamine over... See more

Taste manifests as a combination of history, design, user experience, and embedded values that creates emotional resonance — that defines how a product connects with people as individuals and aligns with their identity. None of the tactical things alone are taste; they’re mere artifacts or effects of expressing one’s taste. At a minimum, taste... See more

But taste requires subtraction. It means not participating in every viral moment. It means not resharing something just because it’s getting attention. It means opting out of the churn.

That doesn’t mean being contrarian for the sake of it. It means noticing when the culture’s default setting no longer reflects what’s true for you—and walking away.

‘Scene Cool’ values high quality over high sales, fellow tastemakers over mass-market followers, and specific geographical context over post-geographic audiences. While ‘Internet Cool’ chases clout and virality across global digital networks.

The ‘Scene Cool’ practices a studied absence from digital performance. Their power derives from what they... See more

And that’s what real taste is: a deep internal coherence. A way of filtering the world through intuition that’s been sharpened by attention.