Reddit stands out in the cluttered social media architecture—not because it emphasizes visibility, but rather because it reduces it. Reddit functions through text-heavy discourse, community-governed standards, and pseudonymity, whereas Instagram and TikTok revolve around algorithmic performance and personal branding. It is more about how you engage in a shared digital dialogue than it is about…
No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood
The novel No One Is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood vividly depicts what it’s like to have your awareness influenced by the internet before being brutally dragged back into the physical world. It is a book on how digital immersion reconfigures identity, intimacy, bereavement, and moral attentiveness, not just about social media. Image Cover…
Double-Tap Avocado Toast
This avocado toast is carefully chosen rather than just put together. Every component—colour pop, gloss, height, and contrast—is deliberate. It poses a silent query: is the broadcast or the bite the source of satisfaction? Image Credit: Boryslav Shoot from Pexels Ingredients (Serves 2) Method Make an intentional toast.The sourdough should be toasted until it is brown and…
Online Identity vs. Lived Self: Mental Health in the Age of Perpetual Performance
Identity in the digital era is something we constantly do rather than something we just are. Shared in public or semi-public venues, profiles, postings, avatars, bios, and tales serve as meticulously crafted pieces of the self. The increasing gap between our online and offline selves has serious effects for mental health, even if online identities…
Berlin: A City That Refuses to Be Fully Known
Berlin does not portray itself as complete. It is a city that views identity as something to be constantly negotiated rather than something to be discovered; it is tentative, multi-layered, and purposefully unsettled. Because of its openness, Berlin has emerged as a global hub for alternative lifestyles, relationships, and online personas.Berlin serves as a living…
Green Signaling: Sustainability as a Digital Identity Performance
Sustainability was once a collection of energy-saving lightbulbs, recycling bins, and reusable bags. It is now a language as well, one that is spoken online with ease. Sustainability is now a clear indicator of who we are, who we support, and how we want to be perceived, from carbon-neutral brand aesthetics to climate-conscious dating profiles…
Collina Strada: Fashion as a Digital Diary of Identity, Emotion, and Care
Collina Strada works at the nexus of the internet, fashion, and emotion. The New York-based brand, which was founded by Hillary Taymour, is now known for its vibrant designs, contrasting textures, and intentionally rough—almost diaristic—shapes. Beneath the visual disarray, however, is a logical philosophy: fashion as a platform for relational identity-making, ethical duty, and emotional…
BeReal and the Quiet Rebellion Against Digital Performance
BeReal came up with the almost novel idea that you should just show up as you are in an internet that is sculpted by filters, algorithms, and constant self-optimization. No changes. Not a stage. There are no second takes. The software asks users to share a picture taken with both the front and rear cameras…
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
Naoise Dolan’s Exciting Times is a sharp, emotionally restrained novel that captures the unease of contemporary relationships shaped by global mobility, digital communication, and the quiet pressures of self-definition. The book, which is mostly set in Hong Kong, centers on Ava, a young Irish woman teaching English overseas, as she negotiates a confusing romantic triangle…
Algorithm Bowl (Customized Grain Bowl)
A build-your-own grain bowl guided by logic, balance, and personal data—just like an algorithm. Describe the Algorithm BowlA modular grain bowl called a “algorithm bowl” is made with inputs (your requirements, preferences, and energy levels) and outputs (satisfaction, nutrition, and enjoyment) in mind. It adheres to a straightforward framework, like an algorithm, in place of…