At the beginning of the pandemic, Rian Phin, furloughed from her stressful job and struggling to create content, was living in a poorly lit townhome in Brooklyn with five roommates.
Fascinating and great article. You say that Gen Z is the savviest generation of consumers — has created an expectation of a sort of individuation that appears thoughtful and well rounded. It’s not enough for young would-be influencers to influence. They also have to prove they’re “interesting,”...
I know a lot of Gen Zers, and the requirement to be interesting IS incredible. I've scarcely watched the latest coolest videos before they're already too yesterday to be mentioned in polite society. And you can't mention a topic without my son having looked it up on his phone and ready to cite contrary sources before you even finish the sentence.
Yet I doubt the savvyness. I look at the choices they make, the things they buy, etc. and don't think they've found their bearings yet.
really enjoyed reading this—in many ways it felt like a tour through the key reference points of my (apologies in advance) girlhood…tumblr aesthetic categories and Tavi Gevinson’s influence and the slow rise of tumblr it-girls-turned-video-content-stars like Rian Phin
and I really appreciated how you tied this all together in the desperate, omnipresent need for contemporary influencers to be rich AND hot AND interesting AND tasteful AND cultured! always enjoy your analyses 💞
This essay genre of “selected histories of the internet” will never cease to fascinate me. Excellent digital anthropology you did here! Taught this barely online young millennial a thing or two!
Fascinating and great article. You say that Gen Z is the savviest generation of consumers — has created an expectation of a sort of individuation that appears thoughtful and well rounded. It’s not enough for young would-be influencers to influence. They also have to prove they’re “interesting,”...
I know a lot of Gen Zers, and the requirement to be interesting IS incredible. I've scarcely watched the latest coolest videos before they're already too yesterday to be mentioned in polite society. And you can't mention a topic without my son having looked it up on his phone and ready to cite contrary sources before you even finish the sentence.
Yet I doubt the savvyness. I look at the choices they make, the things they buy, etc. and don't think they've found their bearings yet.
really enjoyed reading this—in many ways it felt like a tour through the key reference points of my (apologies in advance) girlhood…tumblr aesthetic categories and Tavi Gevinson’s influence and the slow rise of tumblr it-girls-turned-video-content-stars like Rian Phin
and I really appreciated how you tied this all together in the desperate, omnipresent need for contemporary influencers to be rich AND hot AND interesting AND tasteful AND cultured! always enjoy your analyses 💞
This essay genre of “selected histories of the internet” will never cease to fascinate me. Excellent digital anthropology you did here! Taught this barely online young millennial a thing or two!