Subject Matter 15: 3 Cuts on Brands
Over the weekend, I put together a short video walkthrough of 3 ways that I currently think about brands: as consensus systems, as sites of conflict, and as interfaces. Here's a link to the full article with some context, thanks, and a link to the Figma file that I built the presentation. Videos are a new thing for me, so I welcome feedback on how I could make this more entertaining.
https://subpixel.space/entries/3-cuts-on-brands/
When anything related to brands comes up—lifestyle brands, personal branding, community branding, and so on—I think about Richard Feynman in that video in which he staunchly refuses to explain magnets, insisting that it all depends on at what level of abstraction and from what truth framework you choose to approach the question. "I really can't do a good job, any job, of explaining magnetic force in terms of something else that you're more familiar with, because I don't understand it in terms of anything else that you're more familiar with."
I've been reading Feynman's introductory physics lectures, and appreciate his approach of explaining absolutely everything from the starting point of the atomic hypothesis. The same ground-up approach is necessary for understanding anything in the cultural sphere. The "rules" that we have today, such as the relation of exclusivity to value, or the understanding that brands "sell better" than commodities, are analogous to the laws of physics known before 1920. They are totally rudimentary, only working at a high level of abstract simplicity. And as with Newtonian physics, there are edge cases that disprove the entire model. That is the importance of asking what a lifestyle brand or a personal brand or a cult or a religion even is: they reveal that the whole set of models has yet to undergo serious inquiry.
A more serious understanding can start where everything else in cultural theory starts: phenomenological inquiry, empirical study, and the expectation that things are more complicated than meets the eye. The "brand" appears to be the most relevant cultural formation we have today, and the importance of understanding it cannot be underemphasized. I'll address these questions in future posts.
..
Recommendations
Color Chat, a new app from my friends at Soft Utilities, lets you chat with colored rectangles instead of words. Send me rectangles!
https://colorchat.soft.works/
This American Affairs piece has been floating around for a couple weeks and is the most clear-headed situational analyses regarding the current state of politics and economics I've read recently.
I don't know much about classical music, but I'm trying to get into it. I've been listening to a lot of romantic and impressionist pianists lately. Here are a couple links. I'd appreciate any other recommendations!
- I love Ravel's music and Bavouzet's playing is my favorite interpretation.
- Scriabin Op. 11, 24 Preludes, rendition by Maria Lettberg. Apparently Scriabin is pretty underrated and often called a Chopin imitator but I find his melodies very clever.
- Rachmaninoff Op.39, Etudes-Tableaux, No.8, rendition by Volodos. This song is usually played much faster and more tempestuous, compare to Lugansky's version. Amazing!! 😭I just think this is one of the most heart wrenching and beautiful songs I've ever heard.
..
I'll send a proper end of year post, as usual, in a couple weeks.
Until next time.
https://subpixel.space/entries/3-cuts-on-brands/
When anything related to brands comes up—lifestyle brands, personal branding, community branding, and so on—I think about Richard Feynman in that video in which he staunchly refuses to explain magnets, insisting that it all depends on at what level of abstraction and from what truth framework you choose to approach the question. "I really can't do a good job, any job, of explaining magnetic force in terms of something else that you're more familiar with, because I don't understand it in terms of anything else that you're more familiar with."
I've been reading Feynman's introductory physics lectures, and appreciate his approach of explaining absolutely everything from the starting point of the atomic hypothesis. The same ground-up approach is necessary for understanding anything in the cultural sphere. The "rules" that we have today, such as the relation of exclusivity to value, or the understanding that brands "sell better" than commodities, are analogous to the laws of physics known before 1920. They are totally rudimentary, only working at a high level of abstract simplicity. And as with Newtonian physics, there are edge cases that disprove the entire model. That is the importance of asking what a lifestyle brand or a personal brand or a cult or a religion even is: they reveal that the whole set of models has yet to undergo serious inquiry.
A more serious understanding can start where everything else in cultural theory starts: phenomenological inquiry, empirical study, and the expectation that things are more complicated than meets the eye. The "brand" appears to be the most relevant cultural formation we have today, and the importance of understanding it cannot be underemphasized. I'll address these questions in future posts.
..
Recommendations
Color Chat, a new app from my friends at Soft Utilities, lets you chat with colored rectangles instead of words. Send me rectangles!
https://colorchat.soft.works/
This American Affairs piece has been floating around for a couple weeks and is the most clear-headed situational analyses regarding the current state of politics and economics I've read recently.
I don't know much about classical music, but I'm trying to get into it. I've been listening to a lot of romantic and impressionist pianists lately. Here are a couple links. I'd appreciate any other recommendations!
- I love Ravel's music and Bavouzet's playing is my favorite interpretation.
- Scriabin Op. 11, 24 Preludes, rendition by Maria Lettberg. Apparently Scriabin is pretty underrated and often called a Chopin imitator but I find his melodies very clever.
- Rachmaninoff Op.39, Etudes-Tableaux, No.8, rendition by Volodos. This song is usually played much faster and more tempestuous, compare to Lugansky's version. Amazing!! 😭I just think this is one of the most heart wrenching and beautiful songs I've ever heard.
..
I'll send a proper end of year post, as usual, in a couple weeks.
Until next time.
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