Are algorithms actually making culture boring? It’s easy to point to the Spotifys and Instagrams the world and blame them for what we perceive to be stagnant cultural production, flattened tastes, and generally bad vibes. But, in a recent piece for the Atlantic titled “The Technology That Actually Runs Our World,” journalist T.M. Brown argues that the algorithms that really make culture boring are the ones that we may not even be aware of—the ones that fix real estate or mortgage prices, or determine who gets what medical care. We chat about what this era of culture has in common with earlier systems of artistic patronage, the importance of connecting artists’ struggles to wider material conditions, and why rent is the real creative director.
