W. David Marx

W. David Marx

Tokyo, Japan
Dec
05

On Taste and Congruence

Making the right choices isn’t enough to have good taste: There also must be harmony between the choices Hannah
5 min read
Oct
31

Links on Status and Culture - October 2023

Creator non-revolutions, non-luxurious queuing for luxury goods, non-songs of the summer, and meta-commentary on meta-celebrities Each month I review the
5 min read
Sep
26

Ametora: Revised 2023 Edition

Today Basic Books is releasing a revised English version of my first book, Ametora, with an afterword looking at the
7 min read
Aug
29

They Might Be Giants = the Early Internet

How a single band embodied and dominated online culture in its primordial days, simply because the only people wired in
6 min read
Aug
15

Links on Status and Culture - August 2023

Two mini-essays on two big topics: an economics paper that provides new evidence for status value, and the social mechanics
5 min read
Aug
09

Our Natural Human Defenses Against A.I. Culture

Culture is made of humans, and A.I. doomsdayers haven't explained why we'll all fall in
4 min read
Jul
11

Why haven’t internet creators become superstars?

We’re a decade into online video emerging as the most powerful and popular form of mass media, and yet
5 min read
Jun
07

Pleading Clemency for Pierre Bourdieu's Impending Capital Punishment

Okay, Bourdieu may misuse the word "capital," but his work remains invaluable for better understanding class stratification and
5 min read
May
16

How merchants of style became the institution of art

Natasha Degen’s new book Merchants of Style examines how the fashion industry piggybacked on the Warhol revolution to take
6 min read
May
02

10,000 Gecs as 2023 Culture

Hyperpop provocateurs 100 gecs have a great new album. But if they are "the world's strangest band,
5 min read