alexi gunner
@idlegaze
cultural strategist
writes idle gaze; a newsletter exploring the undercurrents of the modern zeitgeist.
founder @ idle gaze consulting
cultural futurist @ RADAR
alexi gunner
idlegaze.substack.com
"Interesting theories are those which deny certain assumptions of their audience, while non-interesting theories are those which affirm certain assumptions of their audience."
Much of the recent talk around tradwife treats it as a simple curve of provocation, visibility, peak, exhaustion, and decline. That is tidy for decks and headlines but flattens the story and misses deeper patterns. If we approach culture as a story system rather than a set of isolated spikes, tradwife does not appear as a one off trend. It is one... See more
The tradwife trend is not a curve, but a recurring role in a cycle of cultural narratives. | Tim Stock posted on the topic | LinkedIn
Cultural research works differently. It is slow. Sometimes, painfully so. It builds through everyday behaviours and accumulates over time. What shows up as a trending moment is just one piece of a larger puzzle of signals, each shaping shifts in our ME WE ALL framework. We don’t need to debate whether a term like tradwife is real or overblown. What... See more
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When using our devices, we’re pulled into and solely focused on the glowing world that exists on the screen. We lose both an awareness of self and of the real world context surrounding us. This extension aims to disrupt that trance and remind you that you are here and your computer is there and you are just staring at it and... wow is that really... See more
Maya Man • Glance Back
Our skin aches for mornings that begin with the light of dawn and not that of a screen. Before our feet touch the earth, our eyes have already wandered into someone else’s world. We didn’t notice when we stopped living and began watching others. We’ve become spectators of everyone and participants in nothing of our own.
amber. • the hunger to be everything.
Not using a phone taught me what a phone is really for. It’s not for communicating with other people, getting directions, reading articles, looking at pictures, shopping for products, or playing games. A phone is a device for muting the anxieties proper to being alive. This is what all its functions and features ultimately achieve: cameras deliver... See more
I think digital scrolling induces a kind of blackout. Not in the way alcohol causes one, but in the sense that time disappears without anything worth remembering. There are days I can barely recall—not because they were traumatic, but because they were simply unmemorable. A digital fog. Hours passed without touching anything real. No texture. No... See more