the slop era

This video declares that the age of brands as stories has ended. There are no more ninety second spots that tell a tale, he argues, now there’s only vibe, something more like sentiment or affect – what's picked up in a crowded feed, two or three seconds between footage of catastrophic climate change and a monkey who’s learned to do makeup... See more

Successful platforms do not just discover what consumers want — they produce the consumers and the forms of consumer desire that they need.

Because they are not well funded, leftist creators also don't have money to pour into production teams or marketing for their independent media businesses. While Bari Weiss and other billionaire-backed right wing influencers who cosplay as independent media can hire large staffs and run national ad campaigns thanks to their robust funding,... See more

We’re seeing endings everywhere, in both obvious and non-obvious ways. Let me count the ways.Despite Trump’s non-brand-approved appearance, McDonald’s is failing as a major E. coli outbreak hit their (icky) onions (along with Burger King and Taco Bell too), sending shares down. It’s not just the E. coli but one of the brand’s fry suppliers closed... See more

I’ve been writing for years about social media fueling the loneliness crisis and the way capitalism and big tech have innovated away human connection and trapped us in ecosystems that encourage and profit from a meaner, angrier user base. These platforms too often funnel young men into toxic spaces that answer their loneliness by pointing the... See more

What’s worse is the deep capitalism poisoning that confuses consumerism with culture: a new water bottle despite having water bottles, simping for and falling for billionaire theatrics, happily welcoming the AI-fication of everything. A loser landscape is emerging, as teens want less sex in movies, as nightclubs close and sober bars rise, as... See more

the attention economy erodes trust. It rewards the most dramatic claims, the most outrageous behavior, the most compelling narratives regardless of their relationship to truth or long-term consequences.

Saleability, not substance, is the issue.