Published in OneZero·PinnedMember-onlyAre Censorship Algorithms Changing TikTok’s Culture?How social media users push back against the policing of speech — When I was a kid, my mother would speak in pig latin whenever she needed to have an adult conversation in front of my sister and me. …Social Media9 min readSocial Media9 min read
PinnedMember-onlyMore of a Question than a CommentLike most internet users, I have a love/hate relationship with online comments. When I love comments, I believe that the comment section of online content has the power to build community ties through shared experience and engagement. But when I hate comments, I view comment sections as hot-beds of all…Social Media9 min readSocial Media9 min read
PinnedMember-onlyTikTok, Plagiarism, and the Politics of CitationTikTok is a fascinating place for a researcher and writer. Everyday I learn something new about the app, and it brings up questions that are not only relevant to the app itself, but to the norms of information sharing and content creation at this moment in time. …Tiktok App7 min readTiktok App7 min read
Published in Momentum·5 days agoMember-onlyGore for the Gworls: Amazon Prime’s “Swarm” as Black Horror for Lovers of CampFor over a decade, I have been a fan of Childish Gambino, or the artist sometimes known as Donald Glover. From the stand-up comedy and writing era to the albums and television series, tracing Glover’s career has been a wild ride as his fans discover new talents at every turn…Horror13 min readHorror13 min read
Mar 20Member-onlyHey Mr. DJ: TikTok, Spotify, and the Era of Machine Moderated MixologyI have made a lot of mixtapes and playlists in my life, in addition to spending more than the requisite 10,000 hours at nightclubs and dance parties. …Social Media7 min readSocial Media7 min read
Mar 6Member-onlyDining Alone: The Collapse of CompSex and Revival of Queer CommunityAs a high school student, US History and Economics were two courses that I was required to take for graduation. And although these classes relied primarily on textbooks, each teacher assigned readings from popular non-fiction books to supplement the lessons. One such book was Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone: The Collapse…Culture10 min readCulture10 min read
Feb 13Member-onlyThe New Human Zoo: Digital Remediations of Reality TV and Reactionary CultureOver a decade ago, in 2011, Ryan Murphy and company released the 4th season of the iconic series American Horror Story. Controversially titled “Freak Show,” this season explored the history of human zoos and traveling circuses during the 1950s. For those unfamiliar with this history, “freak shows” were a form…Social Media8 min readSocial Media8 min read
Feb 5Member-only‘Pimpin’ All Over the World:’ Passport Bros and the Eroticism of ExoticismGrowing up, my mother was always a fan of teachable moments. Opportunities for her to offer a lesson on life taught through the lens of developing critical thinking skills. One teachable moment that always stands out to me is focused on music and media. As a millennial, I grew up…Culture8 min readCulture8 min read
Jan 9Member-onlyPhilosophical Fan Fiction: Writing Discourse for the 21st CenturyOne of my favorite exercises in college was reading and writing philosophical discourse. For those unfamiliar with the form, philosophical discourses are writings in which two or more individuals or characters are conversing with each other. Usually, this philosophical discourse includes the theoretical perspective of each thinker or philosopher depicted…Philosophy11 min readPhilosophy11 min read
Dec 18, 2022Member-onlyShonda Taste with a Perry Take: Why “Reasonable Doubt” Gets Unreasonable CloutI rarely take suggestions about what to watch from the internet or other people. Primarily because we have entered an era in which media content is so tailored to specific audiences and individuals, what someone else finds interesting will rarely resonate with me. …Hulu8 min readHulu8 min read
