Left on Read pt. 11
Left on Read pt. 11
celebrity culture, smartphones, the power of gossip, gen z, forgiveness
SHE’S BACK! Left on Read is a weekly-ish curation of articles, essays, and other media consumed that I found thought-provoking, amusing, or just moved to share. Cheers!
1. Atmos Magazine: Is It Time To Divest From Celebrity Culture?
For the longest time, celebrities have gained an almost cult-like following with the ways fans put them on pedestals, obsess over, and fixate on them. Over recent years, more people are growing distant from the celebrity industry as a whole.
Here, the writer illustrates the contrast between the glamorous world of celebrity events and the realities of global crises (such as the genocide in Palestine and eight million people displaced in Sudan), and critiques the disconnect between their privileged lifestyles and the struggles faced by many across the world. The writer continues to point out that while some celebrities have shown solidarity, their actions fall short of meaningful impact.
“We are both on the receiving end of the harm it inflicts—on us as individuals and on us as a society—as well as being partly to blame. It is our buy-in to fame that fuels it: our obsession with celebrities and their lives; purchasing products they promote; and gobbling up articles about who they’re dating, what parties they went to, what drugs they took. We keep industrialized fame not just alive, but alight with the burning flame of power.”
“…in a world in dire need of influential action, it also seems implausible that they aren’t using their platforms, their power, and their reach for good. “There can be no business as usual during genocide,” Palestinian poet and activist Mohammed el-Kurd told Al Jazeera when speaking of a campaign launched earlier this year…”
2. Dirt: It's Obviously the Phones
writes on the increased use of smartphones/screen-time as a factor contributing to the decline in social interaction, sex, and an increasingly depressed culture. She also highlights the decline in third spaces and access to such spaces (social surroundings that are separate from the usual social environments of home and work to relax and socialize in, places where community is often found or built). I really love her point on “de-centering phones is another real thing we can do to better our social lives. The economy is out of our control, but our own personal tech consumption isn’t...There aren’t going to be spaces to exist and meet if people would rather stay home and scroll.” I want to challenge myself to limit using my phone when I can (i.e., enjoying a meal in silence or conversing with a peer, taking a walk outside and leaving my headphones at home, reading a book on a long drive rather than scrolling through TikTok). Perhaps in doing so, I can open myself up to meaningful and fulfilling conversations with those around me and forge those deeper connections that I crave.
Note: This article was originally posted on
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3. Lit Hub: On the Subversive Power of Gossip
But first- s/o to my girl
for recommending this read. Tooo good.Collective processing—I mean gossiping, is often dismissed as trivial and viewed in a negative light. However, this essay explores the multifaceted role of gossip and conversation throughout history and across cultures.
“But gossip has value precisely because it creates opportunities for talking through the emotional entanglements of our social lives…Gossip takes up a range of topics…which invites us to engage in talk about moral dilemmas and social conflicts. And, more important, it serves as a resource for those without access to other options for securing knowledge…”
Gossip also has the potential to address social and cultural experiences that can be used to disrupt established power dynamics and inspire change (movements like #MeToo).
“What is gossip’s greatest sin? One possibility is that gossip knits women together to create networks of social interactions beyond patriarchal control and oversight... It becomes a storytelling resource built into a preexisting support system for those limited in their mobility and confined to the domestic sphere.”
I also can’t help but think about this
piece written by and below with a little fun “Ethical Guide To Talking Shit” lol.
4. Vox: Gen Z is officially old enough to feel old. Feel old yet?
Feeling “old” isn’t unique to gen Z, but the trend (dislike using this word so much now) of asking the internet “How old do I look?” has gained popularity and once again is another reflection of how much social media has affected beauty standards. In particular, the article points out how the normalization of cosmetic procedures along with digital filters among young people has further distorted perceptions of age, making “untouched” faces seem older.
“Or perhaps there’s something even more cynical happening here. I’ve been around long enough to know that asking the internet how old you look or how hot you are is almost always a losing game: It doesn’t matter if you’re 17 and have the poreless skin of a newborn baby, there will be middle-aged men in the comment section saying you look “mid-30s at best.””
5. : (Re)connection over conflict
Anything
writes just finds me at the right time, EVERY time I feel. I randomly came across this post from last year which I hadn’t seen earlier. It just felt like a confirmation that I was meant to read it during a time of my life I needed to hear it the most. Here, she reflects on her struggle of letting go of conflicts in relationships to make room for reconciliation and connection, and advocates for embracing repair and forgiveness (with “people with whom we know we could reconnect and reconcile, but feel too proud or ashamed or hurt to”) as an opportunity to support something bigger than oneself.“Relationship therapist Esther Perel often asks the question: “Do you want to be right or do you want to be in relationship?”. For the egotist in each of us, this question is instructive. It can bring us back to what matters more than winning an argument. What we must make matter more than winning anything. Connection. And pride and connection do not go together. Pride is like the manipulative lover that wants to isolate us from the people in our lives who actually care for us.”
More of ‘Left on Read’
In case you missed it or are looking for more to read or simply are curious, Left on Read can be found here and on TikTok.
Let’s keep the conversation flowing
🙇🏽♀️ I’d love to read your thoughts on any of the articles and essays shared above. Feel free to share your recent reads, any compelling pieces that have lingered in your mind, or just a hi! It’s all welcome.
Thanks for the mention 🙏🏿
Ahhh such good recs!!