Loved the main mini essay this week. My main social media is Tumblr, and the people choosing that site as their social homebase are an interesting combo of "actively choosing to be less Online for mental health/fuck the corpos" reasons and "pretentious performative I'm better than those weak-minded losers" reasons, just as you described, but for a lot longer than I feel it's been going on other places. Idk, but I feel like you'd be interested in what's going on over there in that regard.
There's something about choosing not to follow trends that feels freeing, even though it alienates you from your peers -- but as someone who wasn't allowed to watch tv as a kid, it can become a strength because then I *always* have something to ask about, and we never run out of conversation. It used to be, "wait, what happened on TRL/Friends/Survivor??" and now it's "wait, what's trending on tiktok??" A recent work lunch with two fellow millennials would have been strained for convo, but instead they referenced the Sidney Sweeney ad, which I knew nothing about. Watching those ads and discussing them made lunch fly by lol. I find over-saturation and death of monoculture *can* be a vehicle for curiosity... but that's also me clinging to any silver lining.
YES this is so right on (the tumblr thing, the not having a tv thing) i was just talking to someone today about how, as a kid / teen / etc, i didn't participate in most trends because i didnt have the money — but i didn't actively condemn because i didn't care. or i would do it in my own way! you're right though: the death of monoculture should be the door to a way out, via curiosity, but the problem is people ride the slide to the top and just yell, making up a new (performative) meme in the process, all of which seems to be underscored by yucking people's (girls, gays, etc.) yums as they become more close minded. it's weird! it def ties into the recent ft story about people being less conscientious. thank you for sharing!!
Loved the main mini essay this week. My main social media is Tumblr, and the people choosing that site as their social homebase are an interesting combo of "actively choosing to be less Online for mental health/fuck the corpos" reasons and "pretentious performative I'm better than those weak-minded losers" reasons, just as you described, but for a lot longer than I feel it's been going on other places. Idk, but I feel like you'd be interested in what's going on over there in that regard.
There's something about choosing not to follow trends that feels freeing, even though it alienates you from your peers -- but as someone who wasn't allowed to watch tv as a kid, it can become a strength because then I *always* have something to ask about, and we never run out of conversation. It used to be, "wait, what happened on TRL/Friends/Survivor??" and now it's "wait, what's trending on tiktok??" A recent work lunch with two fellow millennials would have been strained for convo, but instead they referenced the Sidney Sweeney ad, which I knew nothing about. Watching those ads and discussing them made lunch fly by lol. I find over-saturation and death of monoculture *can* be a vehicle for curiosity... but that's also me clinging to any silver lining.
YES this is so right on (the tumblr thing, the not having a tv thing) i was just talking to someone today about how, as a kid / teen / etc, i didn't participate in most trends because i didnt have the money — but i didn't actively condemn because i didn't care. or i would do it in my own way! you're right though: the death of monoculture should be the door to a way out, via curiosity, but the problem is people ride the slide to the top and just yell, making up a new (performative) meme in the process, all of which seems to be underscored by yucking people's (girls, gays, etc.) yums as they become more close minded. it's weird! it def ties into the recent ft story about people being less conscientious. thank you for sharing!!
i needed this edition today ✨
ANYTHING FOR YOU SHAWANNA!!!!!!
"unalgorithmicable" is an important coinage.