Katherine Dee — On Attention, Astroturfing and the Nostalgia Trap (EP.187)

Katherine Dee is a writer, journalist, and internet culture reporter. A contributor to publications such as UnHerd, Tablet, and Blaze Media, she is also the proprietor of the Default Wisdom Substack, where she writes about a wide range of topics, including internet history and culture, digital communities, millennial nostalgia, and online fandom. Katherine joins the show to discuss why you’re never leaving Twitter, how to escape the nostalgia trap, whether it’s possible to heal our attention spans, and MUCH more! Important Links:

• Default Wisdom
• Why You’re Never Leaving Twitter; by Katherine Dee
• Everything I Know About Elite America I Learned From ‘Fresh Prince’ and ‘West Wing’; by Rob Henderson

Show Notes:

• Origin Story
• Why You’re Never Leaving Twitter
• Art & Journalism in the Attention Economy
• Class, Wealth & Status
• How to Heal Our Attention Span
• Escaping the Nostalgia Trap
• Technology, Cultural Lag & Barriers to Entry
• Astroturfing vs. Organic Momentum
• Katherine as Empress of the World
• MORE!

Books Mentioned:

• The Status Game: On Human Life and How to Play It; by Will Storr
• Class: A Guide Through the American Status System; by Paul Fussell
• The novels of Donna Tartt
• The novels of Easton Ellis