Loved this analysis—in the same way that the internet has made subcultures into pop culture (witness every fashion, culture, and media consumption "niche" suddenly gaining a massive following on Tiktok), we're now seeing general and generic NEWS slowly edged out in favor of hyper-specialist, highly differentiated/distinctive publications. Idiosyncratic voices (like Blackbird Spyplane within fashion) inspire a more passionate following than carefully measured, neutral ones.
I'm wondering now if it's a reaction to the post-2016 anxiety of political bias in reporting, and the sense that there is no "objective" place to be writing from. In 2024, perhaps we've all accepted that there is no such thing as neutral—and so the highly individual, "biased" voice isn't a weakness but a strength?
And within cultural journalism and criticism, that distrust of neutrality is paired with this feeling that there is SO much content out there, so many commodities, so much we could consume…and we would rather get a recommendation from a friend (an actual friend or a parasocial one) versus an objective ranking. 2024 recommendation culture is more akin to The Strategist (voice-y, highly personable recommendations) than The Wirecutter (self-consciously expert-driven and objective recommendations that barely take aesthetics into account…)
Hey Celine, thanks for the note!! (And please write something for us again!) I do think idiosyncratic voices are on the rise. You need to know where you go for each kind of content: fashion recs, music, books. Often there's one voice in each space that you gravitate toward the most. I like that distinction between "objective" recommendations and personal ones. Personal ones always feel more trustworthy, regardless of all the Wirecutter-style testing. And ultimately aesthetics do matter, especially for something in your home.
Thank you for a clear and detailed list of things that we’ve always known — it just got lost (hidden?) in the whirlpool of the outer internet. Especially the part of the voice of an editor. Sincerely, ex indie magazine editor & publisher.
Loved this analysis—in the same way that the internet has made subcultures into pop culture (witness every fashion, culture, and media consumption "niche" suddenly gaining a massive following on Tiktok), we're now seeing general and generic NEWS slowly edged out in favor of hyper-specialist, highly differentiated/distinctive publications. Idiosyncratic voices (like Blackbird Spyplane within fashion) inspire a more passionate following than carefully measured, neutral ones.
I'm wondering now if it's a reaction to the post-2016 anxiety of political bias in reporting, and the sense that there is no "objective" place to be writing from. In 2024, perhaps we've all accepted that there is no such thing as neutral—and so the highly individual, "biased" voice isn't a weakness but a strength?
And within cultural journalism and criticism, that distrust of neutrality is paired with this feeling that there is SO much content out there, so many commodities, so much we could consume…and we would rather get a recommendation from a friend (an actual friend or a parasocial one) versus an objective ranking. 2024 recommendation culture is more akin to The Strategist (voice-y, highly personable recommendations) than The Wirecutter (self-consciously expert-driven and objective recommendations that barely take aesthetics into account…)
Hey Celine, thanks for the note!! (And please write something for us again!) I do think idiosyncratic voices are on the rise. You need to know where you go for each kind of content: fashion recs, music, books. Often there's one voice in each space that you gravitate toward the most. I like that distinction between "objective" recommendations and personal ones. Personal ones always feel more trustworthy, regardless of all the Wirecutter-style testing. And ultimately aesthetics do matter, especially for something in your home.
Thank you for a clear and detailed list of things that we’ve always known — it just got lost (hidden?) in the whirlpool of the outer internet. Especially the part of the voice of an editor. Sincerely, ex indie magazine editor & publisher.