Episode description

There is no doubt that right now we are living through the most consequential time of our generation to-date. Today’s social and political climate begs the big question, ‘Who are we, really?’ 

As BLM, societal tensions and the added pressure of a pandemic force us to take a candid look at ourselves, the clues to answering that question lie in our online and offline spaces.

Author and sociologist Tressie McMillan Cottom joins us for an intimate discussion on how the mechanics of the internet, social media, digital marketing and real-life institutions amass power along racial and gender lines, and what they tell us about the American identity. 

We discuss how certain cultural narratives create our understanding of ourselves and others, how consumption is becoming increasingly political, how inequality manifests in our digital realms, and the role that brands play in the larger discussion.

We also discuss how things like Instagram filters, memes, the technology disruption cycle and platform economics accelerate our notions of race, gender and class even more efficiently than their irl counterparts. 

Links to interesting things mentioned in this episode and further reading:

• Upending Stereotypes of Black Womanhood with “Thick” (The Daily Show)
• Hear To Slay: The Black Feminist Podcast Of Your Dreams (Luminary)
• Feminist and Sociology Professor Tressie McMillan Cottom (PBS/ Amanpour & Co.)
• The Coded Language of For-Profit Colleges (The Atlantic)
• What does it mean to be a ‘Karen’? Karens explain (The Guardian)
• When Luxury Stores Decorate Their Riot Barricades With Protest Art (New York Times)
• Does the U.S. Still Have a ‘Middle Class’? (The Atlantic)

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