Lifestyle

In 'Filterworld,' only you can save yourself from bad taste

Published

2 years ago

January 16, 2024

In 'Filterworld,' only you can save yourself from bad taste

New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka came of age alongside the internet. As a teen, he published his own blog and joined forums for fans of anime and the Dave Matthews Band. He discovered one of his favorite jazz songs — John Coltrane’s full version of “My Favorite Things,” a song originally written for The Sound of Music — driving around at night as a high school student, listening to the local radio station.

Chayka is nostalgic for this time — and the ways, then, that personal discoveries like these were made. In his new book, Filterworld, Chayka says he never would have fallen in love with Coltrane’s song if he’d heard it on Spotify. He says he doubts Spotify’s algorithm would even suggest it, because the song is so long. And that, even if it did, he wouldn’t have learned anything about Coltrane as an artist, because the Spotify interface doesn’t provide the same context that an indie radio DJ does, sharing details between songs. The person behind the song choice, he argues, made his budding interest in Coltrane possible in a way modern recommendation systems cannot.

This is one of many “back in my day” anecdotes Chayka uses to craft his argument that algorithms have “flattened culture” — extending, as he notes, Thomas Friedman’s thoughts on globalization in his 2005 book The World is Flat. Thanks to recommendation generators like Netflix’s top picks, TikTok’s “for you” page, and Spotify’s autoplay suggestions, “the least ambiguous, least disruptive, and perhaps least meaningful pieces of culture are promoted,” Chayka argues. He not only mourns the early internet he knew as a teen in the 2000s, he laments coffee shops designed to be showcased online, viral travel destinations, and brick-and-mortar Amazon Books storefronts that demonstrate the power of algorithms to shape behavior and consumption.

He admits that quality is subjective when judging these things, and instead argues that recommendation systems erode personal taste, which is now molded in the image of algorithms. The book is guided by the argument that the “central dilemma of culture” today is in the choice between algorithms and human tastemakers — bookstore employees, museum curators, and the indie radio DJs he references who share their thoughts and preferences more authentically than automated systems. Though he hedges throughout the book, admitting that “there is no pure form of culture that happens outside of technological influence,” Chayka pines for an imaginary past where a “traditional model of human tastemakers” prevailed, and real people determined how successful books, movies, and music were. He’s right that technology has always shaped culture — but he doesn’t meaningfully engage with the idea that in this “traditional model,” what became popular was also shaped by race, gender, class, and power, just as they are in an algorithmic world.

Taste, he writes, was once a combination of personal choices and popular influence — but now algorithms put more stock into choices of the masses, leading to “lowest common denominator” recommendations based on “vibes and feelings” with mass appeal. Developing taste requires effort and active engagement, but what we see now are algorithms turning taste into consumerism.

Chayka compares, for example, Netflix’s Emily in Paris, which “epitomized the flattening of culture,” and Carrie Bradshaw’s character in Sex and the City: “Bradshaw’s role as a writer made her a productive part of culture: She was constructing a particular personal philosophy of life and love. Emily, by contrast, is simply a professional consumer.” For Chayka, being a writer, like Carrie, is inherently more noble than being an influencer, like Emily. But this sort of oversimplified, easy analysis undermines his reporting in the book about influencers, who share with him nuanced reflections about their careers and their relationships to social media.

Chayka’s arguments about Emily in Paris‘ shallow celebration of consumption, the “blatant clarity” of Instagram poets, and even the algorithmic organization of Amazon Books stores may once have seemed new, but they are now the low-hanging fruit of cultural criticism in the Internet Age. Near the end of the book, when Chayka narrates his temporary break from social media and Spotify, his reflections feel trite, not revelatory: Yet another extremely online Twitter user has discovered the value (and limits) of logging off.

“Curation,” the “imposition of individual human taste,” is Chayka’s antidote to living in a world shaped by algorithmic recommendations. But Chayka’s distinction between algorithms and human tastemakers feels like a false dichotomy. A central point of the book, in fact, is that people today are not only well aware of the power of algorithms, they can’t escape them. He interviews a young woman who wonders if “what I like is what I actually like,” worried that her taste is so shaped by algorithms on sites like Pinterest and Instagram that she can’t trust herself. For Chayka, this feeling exemplifies the “psychic world of algorithms” that “filterworld” has created. The book may be most useful in these sections, where Chayka and his interviewees attempt to make sense of how internet algorithms have shaped their own lives and work.

Chayka is so successful in documenting this frustrating aspect of modern life that his overarching argument — that readers should depend more on word-of-mouth recommendations and cultivate their sense of personal taste through time and effort — feels unhelpful, like a band-aid on a larger problem. He even describes that problem at various points in the book, explaining that algorithms are designed by large tech monopolies with their own aims for profit and growth in a capitalist society. But he seems to forget that even “human tastemakers” work within this system.

This is a shame, because many large tech companies and their algorithms do wield power in insidious, often discriminatory ways. There are fruitful discourses about the future of online infrastructure and the regulatory tools available to curb harmful online data collection and break up monopoly power. But by grounding his argument in “taste” Chayka’s contribution feels more based in “vibes and feelings” than a critical analysis.

Lifestyle

We promise, we’re faithful watchers of ‘The Traitors’ : Pop Culture Happy Hour

Published

39 minutes ago

February 25, 2026

Press Room

We promise, we’re faithful watchers of ‘The Traitors’ : Pop Culture Happy Hour

Rob Rausch in the fourth season of The Traitors.

Euan Cherry/Peacock

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Euan Cherry/Peacock

The Peacock reality show The Traitors has become weekly appointment television, as the always impeccably dressed Alan Cumming presides over an unfriendly game full of alliances, secrets, treachery and murder. This season has been rich with drama. Players like Love Island contestant Rob Rausch and former Real Housewife Lisa Rinna have created some truly memorable moments in Traitors history. Ahead of the finale, we convene in the turret to debrief on it all.

To access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Pop Culture Happy Hour, subscribe to Pop Culture Happy Hour+ at plus.npr.org/happy.

Lifestyle

Everywhere you need to be during Frieze L.A.

Published

2 hours ago

February 25, 2026

Press Room

Everywhere you need to be during Frieze L.A.

Frieze Los Angeles

Frieze L.A. returns to Santa Monica Feb. 26 to March 1.

(Casey Kelbaugh/Frieze/CKA)

Ah, Frieze L.A. The raison d’être for all things art-related happening here in late February. The fair can be overstimulating, but it’s still important to traverse the maze of booths at Santa Monica Airport to acquaint oneself with the best art galleries the world has to offer from Feb. 26 to March 1. Karma’s booth will feature paintings from Ernie Barnes and Milton Avery Pace will stage a never-before-seen installation by James Turrell; Hoffman Donahue is presenting its first expanded program highlighting Martine Syms; David Kordansky Gallery is showing Sam Gilliam and Lauren Halsey; and Superposition will show Greg Ito in the Focus section, among many others. frieze.com

Frieze Party at Hauser & Wirth

HWLA Opening & Frieze Party Image Magazine Feb 2026 Drip Index

Hauser & Wirth’s exhibition opening parties are always the best place to run into approximately 60% of the people you know, and the outdoor setting makes it one of the few events in L.A. where you can rock a coat that would otherwise be relegated to the shadows of your closet. The one on Feb. 23 is in celebration of the gallery’s new shows from artist Christina Quarles and collector Eileen Harris Norton. hauserwirth.com

Silencio residency at the Edition

The legendary Parisian nightlife institution is landing in West Hollywood for a three-night residency, Feb. 24-26, where the art, fashion and music worlds will collide for a night of dancing under Sunset at Edition’s ceiling of disco balls. Tuesday night is hosted by Whitewall Magazine, Wednesday night is hosted by LACMA Avant-Garde and Enzo Los Angeles and Thursday night has How Long Gone and Tom of Finland at the helm. sunsetatedition.com

Baile World

Image Magazine Feb 2026 Drip Index Frieze

Baile World is the brainchild of founder Courtney Hollinquest, a staple of L.A.’s nightlife scene known for centering POC femmes — both in terms of the audience she curates and the DJs she books. The party on Feb. 27 is a night celebrating Black club music for Black History Month, featuring sets from Kevin Saunderson (Detroit techno legend), SHEKDASH, DJ Nico, Tromac and CQUESTT herself. Pull up to bask in the glory of genres with Black roots: techno, house and ghettotech. Tickets range from $15 to $40. ra.co

Butter Fine Art Fair

Image Magazine February 2026 Drip Index Demel Bolden 7, at Butter

Butter, an art fair founded five years ago in Indianapolis, is making its inaugural debut in Los Angeles at Inglewood’s Hollywood Park, running from Feb. 26-March 1. Curated by Nakeyta Moore, Kimberly Drew and Butter co-founders Malina Simone and Alan Bacon, the fair is designed to spotlight L.A.’s established and emerging Black artists. In a rare move, 100% of artwork sales go directly to the artists, showing an emphasis on accessibility and equity. Artists on view include Mr. Wash, April Bey, Autumn Breon, Micaiah Carter and many others. butterartfair.com

Post-Fair

The boutique alternative art fair founded last year by gallerist Chris Sharp is returning to its open-format venue in Santa Monica — a historic 1930s Art Deco post office (hence the name). It runs from Feb. 26-28, and features a strong list of solo presentations from galleries, including Bel Ami, CASTLE, Mariposa, Marta and others.

Felix Art Fair

The eighth edition of Felix Art Fair will take place, per usual, at the iconic Hollywood Roosevelt hotel from Feb. 26-March 1, with booths that reflect the breadth of L.A.’s art scene and a diverse collection of galleries more globally. Exhibitors from Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Milan, Seoul and London will have a presence, including ones from Chicago, Miami, Dallas, New York and our very own Los Angeles, of course. (The David Hockney pool in the center of the action is always a nice centerpiece too.) felixfair.com

Harmonia Rosales in ‘Beginnings’ at Getty Museum

“Beginnings: The Story of Creation in the Middle Ages” explores how the biblical concept of Genesis has been interpreted and visualized across time, starting with artists making work during the Middle Ages. Harmonia Rosales’ Black figurative paintings combine Eurocentric artistic traditions with African diasporic cosmologies as a way to course-correct the historical erasure of Black images from classical narratives. In “Beginnings,” her contemporary works are in conversation with the Getty’s medieval illuminated manuscripts, creating a collision of past and present that broadens our understanding of origin and authorship. The exhibition runs through April 19. getty.edu

Sayre Gomez at David Kordansky

“Precious Moments,” is a solo show of new paintings, sculpture and video by Sayre Gomez, spanning all three of the gallery’s spaces. Gomez’s approach to observing urban life is authentic and impacted by the unreliability of memory. His large-scale, photorealistic paintings render L.A.’s visual language through tools like commercial photo retouching, Hollywood set painting and manual sign painting traditions, creating a unique commentary on image making and the city’s systems of communication. The exhibition runs through March 1. davidkordanskygallery.com

Lyndon J. Barrois Sr. at LACMA

Los Angeles-based, New Orleans-born artist and animator Lyndon J. Barrois Sr. brings action and a singular approach to art making to the museum with his solo exhibition, “Fûtbol Is Life: Animated Sportraits.” This visual history of the World Cup from 1930 to present day shows iconic moments from the sport staged with vivid detail, and is brought to life by Barrois’ miniature figures made from gum wrappers. In anticipation for the eight matches L.A. is hosting for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, this show offers a wide-ranging and carefully crafted survey on the breadth of cultural representation and identities that exist within the sport globally, and commentary on the nuanced political undertones of “the beautiful game.” The exhibition runs through July 12. lacma.org

Samella Lewis at Louis Stern Fine Arts

“The Work Is Never Finished: Prints, Drawings, and Paintings” unearths the prolific work of Samella Lewis (1923-2022), an artist, educator, activist, historian and curator. Lewis kept her own practice throughout her life, even as she worked for museums and universities, founded the Museum of African American Art in Los Angeles and launched the periodical, Black Art: An International Quarterly (later published as the International Review of African American Art). As a Black woman who grew up in the segregated South, she transmuted the prejudice her community faced into striking scenes of human connection, many of them sketched from memory and some rendered as linocuts. The exhibition runs through March 7. louissternfinearts.com

Takashi Murakami at Perrotin Los Angeles

A new solo exhibition by Takashi Murakami, the iconic founder of Japan’s postmodern Superflat movement, is on view at Perrotin: “Hark Back to Ukiyo-e: Tracing Superflat to Japonisme’s Genesis.” Inspired by a visit to Giverny, the village Claude Monet called home, Murakami explores ukiyo-e and Impressionism in 24 new paintings. They explore fashion, feminine sensuality, landscapes (“floating world pictures”) in a show that is as colorful as it is a nuanced commentary on how Japanese approaches to composition inspired European painters. The exhibition runs through March 14. perrotin.com

Ramsés Noriega at Marc Selwyn Fine Art

“Ramsés Noriega: De Sonora a Los Ángeles” includes works on paper produced by the artist, an early pioneer of the Chicano Art movement, between 1968 and 1989. A former migrant farm worker, Noriega immigrated to the United States from Sonora, Mexico, in the 1950s. He was a co-organizer of the 1970 Chicano Moratorium march in East L.A., one of the largest Mexican American anti-war demonstrations in U.S. history with an estimated 30,000 participants. Often employing caricature, distortion and symbolism to communicate anxiety and resistance, his works are personal and political, offering a critique of the systems that oppress people of color. Concurrent with this exhibition, Noriega’s work is also on view (through Feb. 28) at the Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center in “Fragmentos Del Barrio: A 60 Year Retrospective,” which surveys six decades of the artist’s work and activism. The exhibition at Marc Selwyn Fine Art runs through March 14. marcselwynfineart.com

Zenobia Lee at Sea View

“Démesuré” is the debut solo exhibition of sculptor Zenobia Lee, an extension of which will be presented by the gallery in a booth of works at Frieze Los Angeles. Objects like dominos and leaves, which figure into the history of Caribbean imperialism, are fashioned from steel and wood. At once, they confront the absurdity of the relationship between absence and presence, and subvert expectations through Lee’s striking approach to scale. The exhibition runs through March 28. sea-view.us

Ash Roberts at Francis Gallery

“The Year Room” is a collection of Ash Roberts’ delicate landscape paintings, which reveal a poetic understanding of the natural world and a soft yet embodied color palette. These works are Impressionistic, displaying washes of scenes featuring elements like lily pads and flowers, some of them incorporating gold leaf as an accent in reference to the Japanese kintsugi technique. The exhibition runs through April 18. francisgallery.com

Evan Nicole Brown is a Los Angeles-born writer, editor and journalist who covers the arts and culture. Her work has been featured in Architectural Digest, the Cut, Fast Company, Getty Magazine, the Hollywood Reporter, the New York Times, T Magazine and elsewhere. She is the managing editor of Contemporary Art Review Los Angeles and the founder of Group Chat, a conversation series and creative salon in L.A.

Lifestyle

Flavor Flav is among women’s hockey team fans outraged by presidential snub

Published

13 hours ago

February 24, 2026

Press Room

Flavor Flav is among women’s hockey team fans outraged by presidential snub

American rapper and television personality Flavor Flav watches on during the Women’s Monobob Bobsleigh at the Cortina Sliding Centre, on Sunday February 15, 2026 at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Italy.

Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images

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Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty Images

After President Trump snubbed the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, some of its fans were quick to respond. Among them, Flavor Flav, the erstwhile member of the pioneering rap group Public Enemy and television personality known for the bejeweled clocks he wears as signature necklaces.

In a locker room call over the weekend, Trump invited the U.S. men’s hockey team to the White House to celebrate their gold medal victory over Canada, and offered to transport them there on a military plane.

“I must tell you, we’re going to have to bring the women’s team. You do know that,” he added, to laughter from the male athletes. To underscore his apparent disdain for the women’s team, Trump joked that he would likely be impeached if he didn’t.

The U.S. women’s hockey team won a gold medal of their own at the Olympics, also trouncing Canada. Players declined the president’s invitation to the State of the Union address, which came in the wake of his phone call to the men’s team.

Flavor Flav was quick to offer an alternative. “If the USA Women’s Hockey Team wants a real celebration and invite… I’ll host them in Las Vegas,” the rapper wrote on his official Instagram channel. “Do some nice dinners and shows and good times. I’m sure I can get a hotel and airline to help me out here and celebrate these women for real for real.”

In recent years, Flav has fashioned himself as an enthusiastic proponent of the Olympics, acting as an official “hype man” for this year’s bobsled and skeleton teams. He also sponsored the U.S. water polo teams at the Paris Olympics in 2024, in part after learning how little women athletes earn.

“I actually love this for Flavor Flav,” says Frankie de la Cretaz, an independent journalist who writes the queer-oriented Out of Your League newsletter. “For him, this really started when he got behind the women’s water polo team during the Summer Olympics. And to be clear, the U.S. is one of the only countries that does not federally fund their elite Olympic and national team athletes. Many of them are funding themselves through sponsorships.

De la Cretaz likened the effort to crowd funding, and added that women athletes tend to be far more under-resourced than men.

Flav’s public stand in support of the female hockey players is quite a turn, De la Cretaz added, for a celebrity who once referred to twin female contestants on his VHS reality show Flavor of Love as “Thing One” and “Thing Two.” Over the past few years, Flav has supported female athletes consistently, they said, and not just during the high-wattage events of the Olympics. “He never does it in a way that feels demeaning or performative. And I have nothing but respect, actually, for the way he’s shown up for women athletes.”

De la Cretaz said they saw more hypocrisy coming from a president who has worked to ban transgender athletes. “So much of the anti-trans sports push has been about quote unquote, protecting women’s sports. And if you want to ‘protect women’s sports,’ it actually would be about investing and giving them the equal opportunity that men have and respecting them as athletes.”