Rethinking Thinkpieces: Pop Criticism as Pop Culture

Michael Lawrence @doctorlawrence

We’re seeing an explosion of sharable digital content that offers commentary on popular culture in the style of critical cultural analysis.

A PRODUCTIVELY PEJORATIVE TERM?

According to a think piece about think pieces…

“THESE DAYS, WHEN YOU WANT TO MOCK A PIECE OF WRITING,

THINK PIECE IS THE GO-TO

TERM.”

How to study these things?

▸ As a kind of text. A form/genre of criticism with distinct characteristics.

▸ As a kind of practice. Posting and sharing is a communicative act, a mode of engagement. Look beyond “reading” and “thinking.”

▸ As a kind of commodified content. Driving traffic, promoting brands and platforms, generating data.

The death of Prince.

The release of Lemonade.

As experienced on Facebook.

By way of think pieces.

Critical cultural critique. As clickbait?

For example:

The appropriation of “cultural appropriation.”

Do we actually read these things? Do they really help us think about culture? Or are they just more noise?

We don’t just read these things, we…

WRITE POST TWEET RETWEET LIKE REACT

COMMENT SKIM REPLY MENTION CITE REMIX

IGNORE FORGET REMEMBER BLOCK EMAIL BOOKMARK

Beyond reading? Beyond thinking?

BUILD COMMUNITY

INVITE DIALOGUE

SET AGENDA

POLICE NORMS

UPDATE STATUS

EVALUATE RELATIONSHIPS

SELF-PROMOTION

GET NEWS

IDENTITY PLAY

EMOTIONAL WORK

Things get a little meta.

Thinking. About think pieces.

@doctorlawrence