Freddie deBoer • 9653 implied HN points • 19 Aug 25
- Many popular trends today, like 'brat summer' and 'Barbiecore,' are actually created by companies, not by fans. This means what looks like a new craze is often just clever marketing.
- People don't really know what's real anymore in pop culture. It’s hard to tell if a hit song is actually loved by people or if it’s just promoted by companies with big budgets.
- The fun of discovering music and culture is fading because everything feels controlled. Fans are often led to like what's trendy instead of exploring and forming their own tastes.