The Future of Social Media is (not) Bluesky

Or is it?! I know nothing. Also: Pain solidarity and a candy review.

Rest in power, Lorraine O’Grady. Read an interview about her phenomenal body of work and browse her archives to spend some time with the incredible gifts she left for us.

Earlier this year, I joined Bluesky, Threads and Spill, trying to get familiar with the current successors to Twitter (I refuse to earnestly call it X if I don’t have to). While I was setting up my accounts, I felt an inexplicable wave of fatigue come over me. It was two-fold: First, going through the process of trying to port myself into yet another platform, and also feeling leery of the excitement and optimism of overly relying on anything Silicon Valley has to offer. It’s clear now that the ideology that governs all of the services and products that we use places our interests as its lowest tier priority. Could this be any different? (Tell me what you think in the comments below!)

I wrote up some of those thoughts for a NYT “Ideas” column — which got paired with an unfortunately condescending headline that I did not choose nor approve — but it was a good place to work through some of my feelings (and it certainly inspired a lot from Bluesky early advocates, not surprisingly!)

In the meantime, the only social media platform I’m using consistently is TikTok. I’m in total denial about the ban (allegedly) happening next month, and am in total scarcity mode. It’s the only algorithm I feel like I’ve actually built, brick by incredible brick.

Is Pain Consciousness the new Class Consciousness?

Like most of you, I’ve been absolutely transfixed by the unfolding saga of Luigi Mangione — less so the alleged murder, but the gleeful, giddy reaction to it. I recently saw a clip from the “Bop to the Top” tour — a concert where DJs play Disney Channel throwbacks — with a slideshow of Mangione images playing in the background. The crowd, naturally, is going nuts. One of the responses laments that this is the performance of class consciousness. I’m not so sure about that - but I do know solidarity can form around other vectors, especially pain. A friend first named this idea for me, and then I read a few studies on how shared pain experiences create social bonds. And one thing that the last few years has clearly underlined is how much pain Americans are in, even when we aren’t talking about it. Whether the pain is physical (I’m leaning on a heating pad as I type this) or emotional (who in America hasn’t dealt with our clusterfucked insurance system), the commiseration is real. It’ll be interesting to see how the collective response to the case continues to unfold.

Candy Review

I don’t really eat candy anymore — I have weak enamel and hate the dentist, plus sugar takes me out harder than any illicit substance ever did, but I finally succumbed to buying a bag of (pink) Nerd Gummy Clusters at the movies the other night. I kept seeing them in those TikTok trauma candy salads, and got intrigued. I figured I’d eat a few and pawn the rest off on my partner, but yawl: I FUCKING LOVED THEM. Perfect amount of crunch and chew. The gummy core is both firm and gooey and provides a delicious base for the pop of the sour Nerds on the outside. The perfect combination of mastication and mouth saliva. 10/10.

the juicy bits

My dearest friends Sonya Passi and Chani Nicholas released an incredible documentary about the work they do with survivors of domestic violence to establish economic independence by building their own businesses. You can watch the film now and shop their goodies here.

If you’re in DC, drop by my sweetie Tara’s Wellness Residency series featuring sound baths and fireside conversations.

“If we don’t cook, we don’t eat.” — The future of the Gaza Soup Kitchen after an Israeli drone strike killed its founder, chef Mahmoud Almadhounits.

Algae cooking oil: I impulsively bought a two-pack of this seed-free neutral oil on a whim and gifted one bottle to an Italian family that lives in Montréal that cooks at home as much as I do. Early verdict: We don’t hate it!

Jeff Bezos, Sam Altman and Zuck all donate $1 million to 47’s inaugural fund.

Telfar supplied the vendors on Canal street with legit Telfar bags to sell alongside their luxury dupes. A stroke of genius x performance art, if you ask me.

“Dreams mirror waking life when you know how to navigate and interpret them.” — a fantastic Creative Independent interview with Orenda Fink, a performer and Jungian Depth coach who specializes in using the unconscious self to find the true self.

Legendary organizer and educator Mariame Kaba has released a trove of her vintage zines on Printed Matter. There’s a lot to peruse, but I went straight for the knowledge share on fish-in protests, and Black and Native movement work in the Pacific Northwest the 1960s.

Thanks for reading! Till next time! xx