there’s something very broken in our culture. most things being produced even by like .... “cool” and “funny” and “smart” people are so boring :/. idk if this is how it always was and i just care more now or if we’re really just stuck in a rut

like most new tv series and movies that get acclaim are formulaic even if they have better, more diverse representation. same with popular books. where’s the like ... form breaking, the new voice and syntax and style that feels *exciting* and not just “good”

the answer is that obviously these things exist. there’s tons of them. but they don’t rise to the same level of popularity. maybe i have a romanticized vision of the past where there were good, inventive, form- and genre- breaking things that were *also* popular. i’m prob wrong!

i think we’ve failed to really see how homogenized the internet has made our psyches and our cultural output. everything is controlled by like 3 big publishers and 2 big streaming networks. we’re more corporate than ever but have the illusion of bountifulness

anyway i should probably just read my friends’ blogs and zines and stop expecting to find things that interest me in popular culture.

k one more thought: algorithmic culture has us all duped into thinking the popular stuff is the good stuff because *we* all have a hand in making it popular. there’s an illusion that what gets produced is somehow our choice because we made the choice to tweet it, stream it, etc

which obfuscates the reality that fewer ppl / corporations than ever control the cultural production machine !!!!!

also this is the reason things like Knives Out become popular because people are craving the “smart” middlebrow *AND* popular stuff. you either get Avengers or tiny things that 5 people see. to have a shared experience around something that feels smart is a rarity

which is not to say that knives out is actually smart. just that it’s popularity highlights what people are craving!

i would also put the surprising viral popularity of Queens Gambit in this category. not that the show was super smart or inventive but i think it hints at something people are craving