the search for authenticity
A paper I often return to is Authenticity as Authentication by Alan Moore (2002). I first came across it while writing my thesis on visual authenticity in marketing campaigns. Moore makes a subtle yet insightful observation: we tend to equate authenticity with unmediated experiences. Though he focuses on music, I found his ideas applicable to the a... See more
Recommended Reading
codes of ‘authenticity’ now flattened into formulas
And here’s what’s really sad: Many, many people in this world are terrified of real connection that unfolds in real time. This means that anything that makes you seem real will set them on edge. They would prefer a painted backdrop, where they can mouth the same lines and get the same predictable responses from everyone they meet. They don’t even r... See more
Interviews are much more interesting in longer formats where you get a better sense of the person. I think people have a sense of what feels genuine and the more we experience that (or a semblance of it) the more the canned laugh and prepared question feels uncanny.
The surge in searches for “real” reveals a deep tension in our collective psyche — a desire to pierce through the artificial, filtered, performative and algorithmic veil and to witness something fundamentally raw, human and intimate.
The paradox is that we seek authenticity through the very mechanisms of mediation (screens), which drive us to crave ... See more
The paradox is that we seek authenticity through the very mechanisms of mediation (screens), which drive us to crave ... See more
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