Issue 22: “Authenticity” is the word

Soft Labor, is an occasional newsletter about visual culture that focuses on trends as they emerge over the arc of time. Related/Unrelated is a link-heavy feature that I generally write for paid subscribers only. I am deeply grateful to those who support Soft Labor. 

Season’s Greetings. It’s been a while — longer than I had realized.

“Authenticity” is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary’s word of the year for 2023. (Incidentally, the OED named “Rizz,” the meaning of which I had to both lookup and verify with a real, living fifteen-year-old.) I suppose it makes sense that “Authenticity” should emerge victorious in a moment where AI-driven paranoia, deepfakes, and other forms of falsity have distorted so much of the digital content we consume, thereby threatening our collective trust in not only the media or in our sense of “truth,” but in one another, as people. How might we express — or find, even — our “authentic” selves in these dark times? 

I have considered this question over the past year while learning how to present myself as an independent digital and cultural consultant, a professional identity that I have committed to after working in institutions for over fifteen years. I try to remember John Cage’s famous adage — “begin again” — every time I meet with a new client (a person!) and introduce myself and my skills anew.