really great essay! i have so many thoughts on this after watching people's reaction to pop culture rebrands and recent come ups that used social media among other more expensive things - many of them have the same mechanics, but very different public reaction
Public and fandom reactions fascinate me to no end. Especially when fans think they know best, or when they can discern marketing/publicity moves when looking at other brands but not the one they are invested in.
Your posts have been super informative and have given me so much food for thought!
The creeping saturation of paratext calls Baudrillard to mind. There is no way of describing the vortices of noise screaming around Star Wars: The Acolyte other than as "hyperreality." Not only do culture wars need no longer take events occurring on terra firma or in the concrete experience their partisans as reference points, but it's no longer even necessary for people to WATCH the damn show in order to claim that it's evidence (or even insinuate that it's a cause!) of society growing better or worse.
Ahhh yes Baudrillard's hyperreality feels so accurate to describe today's climate. It's so hard to relate or connect with so much writing and the general "takes" because they are so disconnected from reality. And it feels like it's getting worse!
This also applies to the bizarre accusations of bigotry/activism in various fandom spaces connected to signifiers and in-group symbolism rather than reality/context/the text itself.
Super interesting!!!! I loved that Robyn was featured on Charli XCX's 360 remix – esp with the lyric 'three child stars out here doing damage' – because their career arcs really run parallel.
really great essay! i have so many thoughts on this after watching people's reaction to pop culture rebrands and recent come ups that used social media among other more expensive things - many of them have the same mechanics, but very different public reaction
Public and fandom reactions fascinate me to no end. Especially when fans think they know best, or when they can discern marketing/publicity moves when looking at other brands but not the one they are invested in.
Your posts have been super informative and have given me so much food for thought!
The creeping saturation of paratext calls Baudrillard to mind. There is no way of describing the vortices of noise screaming around Star Wars: The Acolyte other than as "hyperreality." Not only do culture wars need no longer take events occurring on terra firma or in the concrete experience their partisans as reference points, but it's no longer even necessary for people to WATCH the damn show in order to claim that it's evidence (or even insinuate that it's a cause!) of society growing better or worse.
Ahhh yes Baudrillard's hyperreality feels so accurate to describe today's climate. It's so hard to relate or connect with so much writing and the general "takes" because they are so disconnected from reality. And it feels like it's getting worse!
This also applies to the bizarre accusations of bigotry/activism in various fandom spaces connected to signifiers and in-group symbolism rather than reality/context/the text itself.
Super interesting!!!! I loved that Robyn was featured on Charli XCX's 360 remix – esp with the lyric 'three child stars out here doing damage' – because their career arcs really run parallel.