The tyranny of the algorithm: why every coffee shop looks the same
For a long time, I assumed the Generic Coffee Shop aesthetic would fade, that it might just be an ephemeral trend. But it has only become more entrenched. As digital platforms have expanded, the homogeneity they cause has spread, too.
Kyle Chayka • Filterworld
Chesky said that Airbnb was focused on solving this problem of "travel redistribution." Since tech platforms rarely address the enormity of the social changes they have caused, preferring to deem-phasize their own power, it surprised me that he admitted Airbnb had an effect not just on how people travel, but on where they go, actively influencing t
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The homogeneity contrasted with the general hipster philosophy of the 2010s, namely, that by consuming certain products and cultural artifacts you could proclaim your own uniqueness from the mainstream crowd—in this case a particular coffee shop rather than an obscure band or clothing brand. “The irony of it all is that these spaces are supposed to
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