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I'm fascinated with the idea that culture has come to a grinding halt in the past couple decades. It partly feels true, but it could be that the media we consume and platforms we use are self-aware echo chambers that aren't conducive to original ideas. I'm curious on y'all's thoughts.
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the social internet (and rapid, inescapable commercialization thereof) makes it so that you are what you consume, not what you do, not where you go, not who you spend your time with. before if you bought the clothes or the gear without doing it or without being in community, you were a poser. if you monetized or commercialized that interest and put those incentives over expression and connection, you were a sellout. but that doesn’t exist anymore — democratization and anti-gatekeeping as both ideas and ends of an algorithm to maximize surface area for consumption have made it so that there isn’t a distinct authority on what you can attach to your identity or how you express yourself
but if the extent of our agency in a democratized landscape is to only to consume more instead of producing or connecting, or to produce only to commodify ourselves for money or internet points, then maybe it’s a different kind of “being influenced by social trends rather than authentic interest” than going to a skate park, or an open mic, or a restaurant, or whatever because we heard about it somewhere and wanted to check it out, and de-centering the internet from what we see on it and how we engage with it is a way to make that healthier or more generative for ourselves, and can create beauty without immediately thinking about how to fit into a box along lines drawn by advertisers
Jan 15, 2025
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I love this GQ article about JJJJound from a year ago highlighting Justin Saunders' influence on internet taste & moodboards. He's been in the background of a lot of really influential projects over the last decade, all while building up his own brand that was really kickstarted off a primitive version of what we'd call a moodboard (a version of this still exists here).
What's been so interesting to me is watching the rise and now slow decline of JJJJound as a tastemaker. I guess for us (my millennial generation) the internet really was a clear defining aspect of where we'd discover new things. We learned what was cool from Complex and Hypebeast NikeTalk and StyleForum and a plethora of other sites that either don't exist any longer or have been since bought out and bastardized into another machine that pumps out sponsored posts. Justin thrived in this era. I remember his first few drops, specifically the Vans from 2017 come to mind. People were losing their minds over them. Same for his first few New Balance collabs - absolutely chaos. I personally never found them appealing, but I understand why they created the buzz that they did.
...and yet...
When I talk to any younger guys that are into fashion and menswear and I ask what they think about some of these 'legacy' brands I usually get hit with a 'uh who?' or worse, 'they're cooked.' In a shocking twist of fate, the menswear heroes I grew up admiring are becoming irrelevant with the next generation. And although there isn't anything wrong with that, it does remind me how fleeting relevancy and taste are within the creative space. There's something impressive about being someone who lasts through the shifting trends and fads. And with Gen Z seemingly taking this anti-internet / anti-tech approach (have you looked at how many teenagers are giving up their iPhones for flip phones???) I do wonder what will happen to these guys that formed their following off of forums and message boards once those go away entirely.
Apr 25, 2024
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this place right here is a nostalgic little thing. to me it feels like the simple ways internet had back then. it was all about discovering, connecting, and stuff was pretty raw (while now even what is real sometimes feels fake). we were under no pressure to sell our soul. no algo. no free webinars and sign up the newsletter for exclusive tips on how to grow your newsletter. i feel like the nostalgia is growing stronger because everyone misses being able to live without this insane pressure, fast-paced, crazy industrial/digital mode always on. (thus the reason for some sort of post-modern gothic revival)
Feb 10, 2025
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The perfect lil snack for when you don’t want a big snack
Apr 3, 2024
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We're long overdue in thrusting "What do you do?" into the sea forever. It's time we collectively get down to what people are interested in instead of minimizing their vibrant existence by asking how they make money.
Mar 22, 2024