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
W. David Marx
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
Mar
29
Links on Culture - March 2023
Instagram face, Ozempic, olive oil coffee, Pynchon, and when that submarine most definitely does not come out
Each month I
4 min read
Mar
07
How technology intersects with status signaling
As much as technologists view their creation of more efficient tools as a democratizing force, new gadgets and apps are
4 min read
Feb
28
The perils of “ape-brain” overreach
“The Elephant in the Brain” asserts that primates are the best way to understand humans, but why exactly are we
6 min read
Feb
21
Three Ways of Enjoying Music (and the Reverse Snobbery of Ultra-Poptimism)
The “let people enjoy things” ethos isn’t true egalitarianism because it implicitly denies the fact experts take the most
5 min read
Jan
31
Links on Culture - January 2023
Floppy Birkins, luxury in Korea, literal corporate rock and fashion, and waiting for the post-internet culture to drop
Each month
4 min read