What Happens When We Stop Reading?
Open Tabs #001. What I read, noticed and consumed this week.
Welcome to Open Tabs — your weekly digest of the ideas shaping culture, and the content worth your time.
To read
The rise of “surveillance chic” (Embedded)
Alexa Chung has been posting outfit photos from her Ring door bell. Kate Lindsey explores why CCTV and Meta glasses are emerging as creative instruments during a time of privacy concern.
Americans are already seeing AI’s downsides (Americans on AI)
Americans on AI is a ‘biweekly survey tracking how Americans feel about artificial intelligence (AI)’ that launched two days ago on Substack. Crazy stat here: 82% of Americans say people are struggling to tell what’s real from what’s fake.
How Bending Spoons built a $23bn tech empire from struggling brands (The FT)
“This week, the business, which has morphed into a sprawling technology conglomerate through some 50 acquisitions, including AOL, Eventbrite and Vimeo, went public, raising $1.68bn from investors.”
The End of Reading Is Here (The Atlantic)
Fewer than half of all adults reported having read a book of any kind in 2022. Rose Horowitch explores how a literacy divide is affecting society.
Forget logos, young people in China want ‘spiritual’ luxury (CNN)
“Young city-dwellers are spending more on “lucky” accessories, crystals and Zen-inspired fashion and fragrances in an apparent bid for emotional release, however temporary.”
The Rise of Intellectual Clout (SSENSE)
In the age of doomscrolling and brainrot, J’Nae Phillips explores why deep focus and intellectualism has become aspirational.
To listen
Nirosta Steel, MY SKYSCRAPER (ULYSSA)
A new release representing 40 years or so of demos from Arthur Russell collaborator Steven Hall, a.k.a Nirosta Steel. It’s funky, weird, and super fun.
To watch
What’s your relationship like with your neighbours? I watched this at the cinema last week and laughed a lot. Rogan, Wilde, Norton, and Cruz, all brilliant.
Ryan Murphy — director of Glee and American Horror Story — is back with a limited series based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel.
Martin Weigel’s new book on lessons from the front line (YouTube)
Martin’s writing was my introduction to Strategy. His book ‘Strategy Is a Verb’ came out earlier this year. It’s a must read.
To attend
CASSIUS is returning to London
The legendary French touch DJ is playing Outernet, London, on October 31st.
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Funny seeing The End of Reading and The Rise of Intellectual Clout in the same list. Feels like reading is splitting into a signaling class and a doing class: the people stacking unread books for the shelf, and the shrinking group that actually finishes them. Taste is quietly moving to the second group.
Funny seeing The End of Reading and The Rise of Intellectual Clout in the same list. Feels like reading is splitting into a signaling class and a doing class: the people stacking unread books for the shelf, and the shrinking group that actually finishes them. Taste is quietly moving to the second group.