Sublime

- "the concrete practices of the tech industry now structure identity and individuality in ways that support its own hegemony. While it presents endless avenues for expression, it sees us as wholly reducible to market logic, where we are real to the degree that our consumption habits are rational. This vision of selfhood promotes uniformity and... See more

- "Our algorithmic self may or may not be faithful to how we see ourselves, but it has just as many dimensions and secrets."

We begin by discussing the loss of agency in the age of AI—people using AI to flirt for them, solve arguments, even write birthday cards, and slowly losing trust in their own judgement. Gurwinder describes AI as a “personality amplifier”, giving more agency to those who already have it, but taking more from those who already lack it.

“If your stuff’s not performing well ... you might be aware that the algorithm is doing some shenanigans to tank your views or likes,” explained Kate, but that awareness doesn’t always translate into frustration with the platform. “There’s this doubt that creeps in about your own work, what you should be doing,” she shared.

Today, I can barely tell anyone apart. Many of the Substacks I follow use these big, figurative words that don’t really make sense in an attempt to go viral, which on this platform means getting subscribers and notes and comments. It’s like there’s this internet language that “works” for engagement (literal language, but also sense of style, and a... See more