What Comes Next on the Internet?
The social web is at a crossroads. Where do we want it to go?
Love or hate them, but we all got used to social networks. Here at glamglare, we still faithfully do our tweets, Facebook posts, and Instagram stories for each and every Song Pick of the Day. But it feels increasingly like a chore, something we have to do to spread our content.
Many people believe that the age of social media is over. In an interesting piece, "So where are we all supposed to go now?" Verge editor David Pierce describes the situation without the usual resentment against the social media companies and schadenfreude for the tech bros who lead them. Instead, he concludes that the free open global conversation that we got used to so much does not work anymore now that the companies have to show a return for their investors. And so they turned from idealists intending to create a better world through connection to bean counting, data hogging advertisement firms.
With that backdrop, it is curious that Meta launched a text-centric sister app to Instagram called Threads last Wednesday. Threads could be more innovative: it looks and feels like Twitter and many other already-dead or still-existing Twitter clones. The only slight innovation is that Threads will someday support the fediverse, the distributed network of independent servers that powers Mastodon.
As much as I would like to be excited, it is hard to believe that things will be different this time, particularly with Meta at the helm. So, David Pierce's original question still needs to be solved.
In the end, there might be no solution. Maybe the idea that you get all the information you care about from people you trust in a handy, endless stream onto a screen of your choice does not scale. Since for-profits want to grow, they may inevitably need to destroy the fabric that made their products appealing in the first place. One way to escape this pattern is to always jump on the next network, currently Mastodon or Threads, until their feeds feel again noisy, bloated, and boring.
Or you do it the old-fashioned way and seek out connections and information by intentionally going to websites or subscribing to newsletters like this one.
Either way, enjoy your summer – we have some upbeat, fun songs and videos on our list this week.
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Song Pick of the Day
Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.
The Canadian singer/songwriter Seyblu comes from a "quaint Canadian town," but her new track "Honest" offers smooth big-city vibes. The song lets her take a critical look at herself: "I think being honest with ourselves is difficult," she says. "Honest" is unavailable on YouTube, so check it out on Bandcamp if you don't have Spotify.
The Californian musician Rob Cunliffe takes you to the dark side of love, i.e., "toxic relationships everywhere, whether they were my own experiences or experiences I've watched people in my life go through." "Again & Again" features a timeless, guitar-heavy pop production and a scream because all that can be too much.
Keni Titus, a singer/songwriter from California, is in love. Albeit, she admits, "I just haven't met u yet." That does not stop her from vividly imagining in "if you want" what will happen when that person is finally in her life. The gentle song comes with a video that shows Keni enjoying a gorgeous day in nature.
Take "Time to Breathe" and start "realising the beauty that surrounds us." The Northern Irish singer Reevah wants to entice you to take a break and escape the negativity spiral with her upbeat pop song. "As I grow as a musician and a songwriter, I realise how much I want to instill positivity and love into every song that I create," she says, and we find this an excellent mission.
Samanta Liza is a singer and producer from New York City, and her gorgeous "Lost Souls" is my favorite song of the summer (so far). I would have put it in our summer playlist if I had listened earlier. The video, filmed in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – a fantastic place to hang out during the warm season – adds to the vibe.
Berlin-based singer/songwriter Ngoc Anh Nguyen, aka Another Nguyen, examines the difficulties of a long-distance relationship in "Irreplaceable." "With this song I tried to capture the feeling of being torn; a moment in the relationship where things were uncertain and a lot of different emotions co-existed at the same time," she says. We also love the Berlin dance music vibes and that an all-female production and engineering team put the song together.
OTNES is a new project by Nashville singer/songwriter Emily Otnes. Her new song, "Blu3," starts as an experimental electronic track and ends as a rock song. You have to listen to yourself to believe it.
Also Happening
After a couple of slow release weeks, we enjoyed a few new albums last week: Nothing But Thieves with their fourth album Dead Club City, Celestial North with her debut Otherworld, AMAARA with Child of Venus, and Delilah Holliday with Invaluable Vol 1.
After discovering that we somehow still have a Hulu subscription, we enjoy watching the second season of The Bear. In the unlikely case, you have not heard about the show; it is about a Michelin-star chef who wants to revive his late brother’s diner in a gritty Chicago neighborhood. Classified as a comedy, it is an intense story that thrives on a diverse cast of intriguing characters.
Nine Photos of Open-Air Music
On the lookout for photos of live concerts held outdoors, I came across these unforgettable shows and moments. From the upper left to the bottom right:
1 - Ringo Starr, August 3, 2001, Rockefeller Center Plaza
2 - Monogold, May 29, 2011, at a Williamsburgh private rooftop show
3 - New Order, July 24, 2013, Williamsburg Waterfront
4 - Warpaint, June 26, 2014, Prospect Park
5 - After a Statues of Liberty concert on August 14, 2010, Arlene’s Grocery
6 - Elke, July 11, 2015, 4 Knots Festival
7 - Soul Asylum, June 14, 2015, Northside Festival
8 - Henry Jamison, May 27, 2017, Welcome Campers
9 - Warpaint, July 10, 2011, Oregon Country Fair
