But the contemporary built environment is not the millennials’ legacy; it is their inheritance. They didn’t ask for cardboard modernism — they simply capitulate to its infantilizing aesthetic paradigm because there is no alternative. Or if there is an alternative, it’s between an $8 ice cream cone or an $11 ice cream cone (or a $49 ticket to the Museum of Ice Cream).

time to discuss everyone's favorite subject: aesthetics! is everything actually ugly? are aesthetic critiques of modern living fascist? that's for you to decide!

  • AbbysMuscles [she/her]
    ·
    2 years ago

    This was a wonderful article, and I appreciate you sharing it.

    I don't have a lot to add here yet, my thoughts are still crystallizing. But one bit of serendipity is how well this tied into my recent move into a different house. It was a few months ago now, and we've barely put any decorations up. A few weeks ago, I set my phone to greyscale mode to discourage mindless browsing. Colors are a big part of how apps or the internet at large keep you hooked; without them, it's a lot easier to disengage. And I quickly realized how bare my walls and home look. It hit me in a way that it just hadn't before. It's now a lot more important for me to get the permanent and Christmas decorations up.

    Most of us spend huge chunks of our free time staring into little glass boxes filled with light and color. I'm not solely blaming our drab public areas on this fact, but I do think it's a factor. The immediacy of needing beauty and color in our surroundings is lost because we're literally not paying attention, and our brains are frankly overstimulated with color.

      • AbbysMuscles [she/her]
        ·
        2 years ago

        it always sounded like mysticism to me

        How so? I have to say it's worked pretty well for me

        • HumanBehaviorByBjork [any, undecided]
          hexagon
          ·
          2 years ago

          I just don't see why color saturation would be a central part of screen addiction. But like I said, I haven't tried it, so maybe it'll work.

          • AbbysMuscles [she/her]
            ·
            2 years ago

            Of course it really depends on what you're using your phone for. If it's mostly reading, greyscaling your phone probably won't do much. But instagram, tik tok, and reddit were all immediately far less able to hold my attention once colors were removed. Idk I'm sure it's not for everyone, but may as well give it a try!

    • Orcocracy [comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Perhaps if the world outside the screen were more colourful then the screen's power over us would be dulled a bit.