attention economics.
The algorithmic void of ultra-fast fashion
Shein isn't a fashion brand. It's an algorithm that turns clothing into content and outsources the damage to underpaid workers and overflowing landfills. This piece breaks down how ultra-fast fashion weaponised social media, why the slow fashion counter-narrative collapsed, and what that says about consumer culture.
Read the full thing →The Ordinary just set up a stall selling £305 avocados (and it's some of the best anti-marketing we've seen)
The Ordinary built a fake luxury supermarket and sold an avocado for £305. It's a brilliant piece of anti-marketing that exposes the deceptive language beauty brands use to inflate their prices. And it permanently changes how shoppers see every luxury skincare counter they'll ever stand in front of.
attention economicsThe internet is officially a psychological thriller
The internet has gone from dodgy spam folders to AI voice clones, deepfakes, and algorithms designed to keep you scrolling until 3am. Both the technology and the creators using it are manufacturing reality for profit, leaving us burnt out and cynical. Media literacy is no longer a nice-to-have. It is active digital self-defence.
attention economicsWhy does modern marketing always platform dangerous men?
The music industry doesn't see abusers. It sees assets. From Chris Brown to D4vd, our platforms and algorithms keep monetising dangerous men while victims are erased from the story.
most read in this topic.
The algorithmic void of ultra-fast fashion
Shein isn't a fashion brand. It's an algorithm that turns clothing into content and outsources the damage to underpaid workers and overflowing landfills. This piece breaks down how ultra-fast fashion weaponised social media, why the slow fashion counter-narrative collapsed, and what that says about consumer culture.
The Ordinary just set up a stall selling £305 avocados (and it's some of the best anti-marketing we've seen)
The Ordinary built a fake luxury supermarket and sold an avocado for £305. It's a brilliant piece of anti-marketing that exposes the deceptive language beauty brands use to inflate their prices. And it permanently changes how shoppers see every luxury skincare counter they'll ever stand in front of.
The internet is officially a psychological thriller
The internet has gone from dodgy spam folders to AI voice clones, deepfakes, and algorithms designed to keep you scrolling until 3am. Both the technology and the creators using it are manufacturing reality for profit, leaving us burnt out and cynical. Media literacy is no longer a nice-to-have. It is active digital self-defence.
Why does modern marketing always platform dangerous men?
The music industry doesn't see abusers. It sees assets. From Chris Brown to D4vd, our platforms and algorithms keep monetising dangerous men while victims are erased from the story.
The browser is the new gatekeeper and we're not ready
Browsers aren't just tools anymore. They're becoming AI agents that summarise, filter and decide what users see before they ever land on your site. If your brand isn't built to survive that filter, you're already behind.
What happens when art becomes just another asset class?
The algorithm has quietly changed the deal for artists. To have a career now, you don't just make good work. You perform the making of it, on camera, in real time, for a feed that refreshes every second.
The death of the "watch me" era
The "watch me" era of performance content is over. We have stopped watching for entertainment and started watching to make decisions. In a world about to be flooded with AI-generated noise, the creators people actually believe are worth more than ever.
What "tokenmaxxing" is and why it's the ultimate attack on your attention
Silicon Valley has a new flex, and it's spending millions on AI compute. It's called tokenmaxxing, and it's being sold as a productivity revolution. Really, it's just a new way of drowning everyone in noise.
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