#20
I guess knowledge is sexy rn!
Hey, hotties! Here are my thoughts on knowledge as a current trend! But first, here is your reminder to tell him to send you flowers...
I’m sure most of you have noticed the shift towards long-form written content from creators to founders to your best friend's fashion advice. I’ve previously touched on the rush to Substack, but I want to dive deeper. Knowledge has always been a powerful gift that some are luckier than others to obtain. Society has long valued those who seem to present the holding of knowledge as it signifies some superiority. There is no one form of knowledge a person has; it can be accumulated across different subjects, with each person holding various information.
During the 2010s, the era of Girl Boss culture was at its prime, glorifying the multitasking woman who seemingly did it all. While its decline was swift and forceful, the echoes of 'girlbossification' still reverberate in our society. The alpha working female mindset is a robust response to the harsh realities women face in the workplace and beyond. It was a time for women to assert themselves, often symbolized by the pantsuit and millennial pink, and many (predominantly white and privileged) embraced this narrative. It became trendy to be a hardworking woman and even more so to flaunt it.
While crushing the corporate world was the high status of that era, I feel like we have entered a new phase that puts knowledge on a pedestal. All different types of people have rushed to Substack to let their followers, friends, etc., know what they know. We have shifted to a place where long-form written content shows prestige and expertise in a specific area. It shows that the person writing the newsletter has more to offer than you may see on the surface and, in many cases, their social media timelines. Long-form written content gives the creator a chance to show off in a new way, to prove that they are competent and have more to offer than just their videos or photos.
I think this stems from a few different places, but the most prominent is that creators, and honestly, people at large, want to differentiate themselves from the rest. They want the chance to be appreciated and adored for their uniqueness, which the sameness of online culture has wiped out. Substack and other newsletter platforms allow creators to dive deeper into what they have to say credibly via long-form written content. The more you know, the more you have to show off, the more you will be valued. This is nothing new in American culture, but interestingly, it has entered the trend cycle.
I also believe our fixation on showing off our knowledge comes from exhaustion from creating and consuming short video content. Our attention seems to want to refocus and expand its abilities, which is tremendous and needed.
Contrary to the exponential growth of newsletters, the app AirChat is slowly rising. AirChat is an audio-based Reddit vibe where users can connect on various subjects via voice notes. At first, I was skeptical if people would actually want to partake in this, as hearing a stranger's voice may feel invasive. People are also always on the go, so I’d assumed that a potential user would prefer just to read an exchange. But after I finally got accepted to use the app (yes, it’s one of those waitlist things), I realized that people were obsessed with sharing their info on a given subject with others. I guess knowledge is power, and any way we can share it should most definitely be tested. Especially when AI poses a potential threat to the information people receive, maybe the ability to hear someone speak validates their claims a bit more.
To tie this all up, maybe we’re all just craving PERSONALIZED knowledge and anecdotes rather than those fueled by algorithms and harmful AI bots.
Curious to hear your thoughts, so as always reply reply reply!! <3
I’ll leave you with this photo of my hair absolutely hairing:
