Strands of Genius: Non-Fungible Taylor Swift, Outlier, The Perils of "Sharenting"

Guest curated by Eric Tsai

May 20, 2021

:: A BIT MORE ABOUT GUEST CURATOR, ERIC TSAI ::

LOCATION: NYC
PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: We Are Social NY

Hi, I’m Eric. I’ve been working in advertising, with a side of tech startup, for the past 10+ years. I like figuring out the intersection of what people find interesting and what brands need to do succeed, and trying to create non-boring things out of that. I currently lead the strategy and research teams at We Are Social NY. Pre-Covid, I had been living in Singapore and Taipei for the past few years.

Rosie and I met during my time at 360i where we worked on Oreo together, which was incredibly fun time. I’ve since spent time at Droga5, JWT and helped lead Expion (a social media startup) to acquisition. I’m excited to share some of what’s been keeping my attention on the internet these days. Thanks for having me!

Editor’s Note (Rosie): I fondly remember getting to work with Eric on Oreo, and am thrilled to have him guest curating today. His journey has taken him all over the world, working with well-respected agencies and teams. His articulation of how he works - trying to create non-boring things at the intersection of what people find interesting, and what brands need to do to succeed - really resonates with me. Love the links he’s shared below and his thoughts on sharenting, which keeps coming up! Thanks, Eric, for being here!

:: THE LINKS ::

NON-FUNGIBLE TAYLOR SWIFT

I’ve been coming back to this article quite a bit recently, especially coming off the rise of interest in NFT’s and crypto. The key paragraph to me: "Bitcoin’s value is rooted not in the Bitcoin blockchain, but rather in the collective belief of millions that it is in fact valuable; NFTs, to the extent they capture and retain value, will require the same sort of collective belief (this is why I find NBA Top Shot particularly interesting: it is rooted in real world copyright). That means the real power is not the record of belief, but rather the ability to inspire belief in the first place.” Whether or not you believe there’s true value in new items, value and worth really boils to creating hype and intrigue. The same holds true for sneakers, real estate, real world art, etc - the list goes on. Definitely something worth thinking about. (Stratechery)

OUTLIER

Outlier is a clothing brand based in Brooklyn. In their own words: “Material for the city. Mostly clothing but also bags, accessories and anything else we want to experiment with.”
I own more pairs of Outlier clothing than I care to admit, but the Slim Dungarees, New Way Shorts and Futureworks are pants I’ve lived in for years. They’re great in all climates, clean easily and are super durable due to the fabrics they choose. Aside from the shopping, their online photography is incredible and they really nerd out on the materials they use on Instagram and Reddit. Highly recommend especially if you’re looking to streamline your closet a bit. (Outlier)

INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, AND THE PERILS OF “SHARENTING”

As a new father and someone who works in adverting, this really hit home for me. We’re increasingly wary of how the social platforms use our personal data, yet we’re willing to post pictures and videos of our kids without a second thought or their consent. Not to say that there’s anything wrong with it but certainly worth a think on how much and how often you share personal details on social media anyway. (The New Yorker)

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:: AND NOW… SOME FAST FAVORITES ::

:: Game :: Grand Theft Auto

:: City :: Tokyo, but Seoul is also high on the list

:: Book :: Most recently, Pachinko

:: Podcast :: 99% Invisible

:: Album :: The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place by Explosions in the Sky

:: OH, AND… HOMER SIMPSON ::

Be nice to each other.

Eric Tsai

ericts@gmail.com

twitter | instagram

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