How Brands Exploit Outrage

Will systems-driven commerce be the death of our (Brian’s) peace? This week, Phillip and Brian explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping expertise, the chokehold inflexible systems have on modern life, and the meaning of the digital afterlife. Plus: learn how brands like American Eagle are balancing controversy and virality to shock themselves into relevancy while feeling minimal aftershocks.

One Year Closer to the Digital Afterlife

Key takeaways:

• The ChatGPT Expert Problem: AI is enabling a new class of "nouveau experts" who cite disparate cultural theorists like Freddie DeBoer and Peter Turchin to sound authoritative, creating sophisticated-sounding but potentially hollow analysis
• Peak Inflexibility: Modern life is increasingly controlled by inflexible systems that eliminate human judgment and serendipity, from cell phone stores that can't override basic functions to restaurants requiring months-advance reservations
• One-Round Game Marketing: Brands like American Eagle are adopting political-style "one-round game" tactics, where temporary controversy and outrage generate attention without long-term brand damage, as demonstrated by Sydney Sweeney's "good genes" campaign
• The Post-Internet Brain: We're outsourcing memory, emotions, and even nostalgia to algorithms, with AI potentially eliminating the need to ask questions by providing contextual information before we realize we want it
• [00:25:55] Brian: "I believe that there is a set of business leaders out there that see ChatGPT as a way to make decisions about their business... they're sending it to an entity that effectively is confirmation bias."
• [00:24:27] Phillip: "What we found in our primary research is that TikTok doesn't show up for direct like spear fishing—that's Amazon. It doesn't show up for inspiration like window shopping—that's Instagram. And it doesn't show up for entertainment or learning—that's YouTube."
• [00:54:49] Brian: "Someday we're not going to call it the internet anymore, actually. Because it's actually an extension of our brains. It's a way for us to store information."
• [01:13:54] Phillip: "A blonde woman talking about her good genes. You’re telling me that not one person thought about this? This is perfectly engineered for outrage."

In-Show Mentions:

• Jack Conte on X: TikTok vs. YouTube as search engines
• Alex Greifeld on X: “One round game marketing”

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