054 - curation, dislike and cultural resistance: navigating the algorithmic echo chamber
how to push back against the sea of sameness
Last month, the field test turned TWO! To celebrate, I organised and moderated a panel with some friends (Paris Bethel, Opening up the outdoors; Alex Webb, Klabu; Cody Reid-Dodick, Good Beans) to talk about the theme of community and how their work aims to cultivate communities with integrity. Honestly, I can’t really believe that it happened, and how it happened smoothly (at least outwardly - shout out to all gem of friends who helped me). Because, believe me, days before, I googled, “how to moderate a panel” just to arm myself and practicing speaking without using any filler words. How funny would it have been if I got a frog in my throat, and froze.
I also got some very talented friends to contribute to the 053 zine, which you can read here. All in all, I’m really proud of myself, and also very proud of the people around me who constantly inspire me to continue working and trying new things. It’s because of them that we’ve been able to reach another achievement - 400 subscribers on The Field Test! 🥺
the inevitability of the mainstream
The “sea of sameness” has been discussed a lot this year. In his book, Filterworld, Kyle Chayka blames algorithms for our cultural uniformity. Even when subcultures enter the mainstream, there’s an inevitable feeling that everything’s become commodified, that everything is the same.
In Spotify’s recent report, Culture Next, they outlined that, “80% of gen z believe that niche and underground cultures are increasingly going mainstream” (hello Brat Summer, hello demure brands). Ironically, Spotify’s algorithm contributes to this culture flattening. Beyond Chayka’s analysis, Liz Pelly recently revealed that a lot of Spotify is filled with ghost artists, as a way to minimise royalty costs. This program, called the Perfect Fit Content (PFC) program, prioritizes cheap, generic - essentially stock music - for playlists and as a result stifles creativity and rewards blandness. More of the same and more of the bland. It’s the enshittification of music.
And, this isn't just about music; it's happening everywhere. And I will say even though I know it, it doesn’t make it easier to see it happening. When I see something on what I think is my very ‘curated’ social media feed, and then I see someone at work to post in the workplace chat, and then an hour later, I see it as a post from a popular media agency’s channel…This sameness is all around us.
Culture slop is heavy
"Pop Will Eat Itself," reminds us though that this outcome is normal, as culture has always been self-referential, it has always eaten itself. But when culture becomes full of artificial bots, bland content and brain rotting slop, it becomes “trapped in a negative feedback loop of its own making and ‘collapsing’ under the weight of its own artificiality.” This stems from the capitalism's co-opting of counterculture and the disappearance of "selling out," which removes a key driver of cultural innovation and consumer desire.
It isn’t that crazy then, to think about people putting up guardrails, and being protective of culture. Bring back gatekeeping!? (just not girlbossing or gaslighting). Protein suggested that consciously curating our choices - choosing what we value instead of letting the algorithm decide - is a form of resistance against algorithmic homogenization. The rise of the “taste economy”, with expert recommendations (e.g. your favourite friend sending you links via her substack & also more famous substackers) an alternative to algorithmic control. These experts act as guides, highlighting “jumpable gates” of subcultures— the little things that signal belonging — offering a path to genuine cultural connection.
an ode to our dislikes
Olivia Laing’s book Crudo, reminded me that disliking something is another form of resistance. I expected to love it, because of my love for her non-fiction work, but it was a heavy dislike. For someone who likes so many things, this feeling is always confronting (and at times existential). But ultimately, its necessary to help us refine our tastes. By recognizing what we don't like, we create a framework for what we do value.
This newsletter has always been a way to be more intentional about the things I see online, especially as algorithms try to tell us what to like. I don’t think I’m always doing this right — I am very easily amused — but whenever I do write, I’m making a conscious effort to engage with culture on my own terms.
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field notes
WATCH: It was IDFA in Amsterdam (a while ago) and I watched one i liked, and one i did not like. Also had the pleasure of watching my friends documentary, Atlantic bar finally with an exclusive friendly q&a and insight (hehehe). One thing that has stayed with me about that experience is the reminder that we can never truly be objective because we’ll always create with our perspective bias. I’m also rewatching / binging the mentalist, a show I used to watch with my parents. I love murder mystery police crime shows. And its so funny watching old shows like these where they have a reboot four seasons down and there is a whole new cast, and also updated technology. AND FOUND OUT PEDRO PESCAL was in the last season.
BOOKS: sorry but i want to humble brag a little bit but i was able to finish my goodreads challenge of the year (39 books). Top reads would be But the girl, Bunny, Minor Detail, On earth we’re briefly gorgeous was HAUNTING also. and A tree grows in brooklyn also. books I really didn’t like (lol): The list, Central places (surprisingly, although this is a fiction debut from deez link’s author Delia Cai, I found it too drawn out and overly dramatic).
ARTICLES: Articles on reading include a different perspective on why we should read, as well as the potential pitfalls of good reads challenges. Maya Man observes our love of analysing things in her art exploration called Sacred Screenshots; matt kleins “the art of doing shit” is a good kick up the butt if you are feeling apathetic. and also relevant for the above discussion: the trend tragedy of commons
PALESTINE: i am not from palestine, but here I stand; a research backed guide to talk to people about palestine; From Ground Zero, a documentary filmed by 22 different Palestinian directors releases their trailer; and The Cut features Yasmeen Mijalii/ Nöl Collective based in Ramallah.
REPORTS: the annual report dump is here and ready for trawling.
RANDOM: if im being completely honest, i havent been on tiktok as I used to be. Not because I don’t want to, but november / december has been filled with celebrating friends, mixed in with reading, mixed in with binging the mentalist. have you heard of Waffle wednesday? these absolute cuties @evolvefromelvis show people how to use excel and to anyone from work, no i do not use them to learn about excel - but you should. The “Dream you have during your 30m nap”. This old Indonesian man djing is very wholesome and already has a collab with nestle indonesia. sociopolitical effects of lookalike competitions. Sparkly pickles is trending - someone tell me why. Dazed Middle East launched featuring a handful of up and coming creators, some of which we really need to know and also includes palestinian artist nehmasis: “I hope that they don’t relate to it and they don’t get it because it’ll mean that we’re probably free,”. Also if you want to hear my voice, I went on my friends podcast a while ago to talk about my thoughts on the film How to make millions before grandma dies. Also! finally got access to arca which is like a tumblr for articles around the internet - I AM SO EXCITED to use it! (I have 2 invitation codes if anyone is interested)
This had me giggling, nodding, and internally screaming “YES, EXACTLY” all at once. The way you capture that gnawing frustration of seeing something go from niche to algorithmic sludge overnight?? So real.
The whole “bring back gatekeeping” bit is hilarious but also kinda profound—like, in a world where everything is optimized for engagement, does taste even exist without some level of exclusivity? And I love that you framed disliking something as an act of resistance. Because yeah, when everything is flattened into ✨content✨, having strong opinions feels almost rebellious.
Also, the irony of Spotify calling out culture becoming mainstream while actively contributing to that erasure?? Chef’s kiss. Enshittification at its finest.
Basically, this piece is giving cultural theorist meets internet girlie, and I’m obsessed.