22.06.25 media roundup
Notes on generative A.I., trans rights, phone addiction, people pleasing, performativity, Art, and more.
Welcome to this week’s installment of media I consumed instead of doomscrolling! I am now home for the summer after traveling for a few days, which means I will now have much more time to work on some exciting things here for you guys :) I think it’s safe to say that the state of the world as of late seems particularly dystopian, the amount of devastation and backwardness happening right now seems unfathomable. I usually try reading things to stay informed but sometimes I think it’s good just to find some lighter things to protect ourselves so that’s what I tried to do this week. Hope you enjoy <3
ChatGPT May Be Eroding Critical Thinking Skills, According to a New MIT Study on Time
Article outlining the findings from a new MIT study that explores the impact of generative AI tools on brain function, particularly regarding neural, linguistic, and behavioral levels.
As much as I attempt to escape it, generative A.I. haunts me everywhere I go. I read my group mate’s texts for our project and I see they are obviously written by ChatGPT. I listen to how instead of therapy, my friend goes to ChatGPT with their problems. I listen to a lady speaking to the barista at a café I’m reading at as she says how the place was recommended to her by ChatGPT. It is everywhere.
If you want to automatically improve your well-being, critical thinking skills, and cognitive capacities, one simple thing you can do is to stop the casual use of generative A.I.. In a world where no one seems to bat an eye at the blatant misuse and overuse of A.I., I think it’s extremely important to remain informed and aware so that we don’t normalize this behavior, and these types of studies are essential for doing so and potentially regulating some of it.
Podcast breaking down the Twitter dispute between Simone Biles and Riley Gaines regarding trans people’s participation in sports, highlighting how right-wing rhetorics happen and why there cannot be a compromise with fascists.
When I initially saw Riley Gaines creating a whole harassment campaign against a literal child for participating in sports and subsequently, against Simone Biles for defending her, I got the unfortunate reminder that trans people’s rights to just exist are under attack everywhere. The thing about this particular quarrel was that it really showed how there is an inherent interconnectedness between women’s rights and trans people’s rights as they are both deeply rooted in patriarchal conceptions of gender.
I have followed Matt for years on his Instagram but this was my first time listening to his podcast and it’s now made its way into my podcast rotation. I really enjoy the way in which he tackles issues that regard the LGBTQIA+ community in an intersectional way. I have found that a lot of the discourse, specifically regarding the Simone v.s. Riley dispute was seen through a white feminism lens so his take was quite refreshing.
Escaping the scroll on Byline
Essay retelling the situations that made the author aware of their addiction to scrolling, how ditching a smartphone has changed their lives, and how they navigate the world.
Last week as I was having a bit of a break in Switzerland, as I finally finished finals and started my summer break. This was definitely a reality check as I was surrounded by the most beautiful landscapes, the Alps on the horizon, the dreamiest garden at my disposal, and virtually no worries (at least about uni), but I was concerned about the fact that I barely had any service.
One day I decided to go into the town nearby to spend the afternoon there. I assumed I would have my beloved Google Maps and, for that matter, the entire world at my disposal on my phone. I then came to realize on the tram that my phone was no better than a brick by that point, and that I was now entirely disconnected from the world. I analyzed my situation and looked at my options, I could either run into the nearest cafe that I could find and try to connect to the wifi, or just let myself find my own way in the town and explore. Thankfully, I chose the latter.
I won’t ever get to the point where I would actually get rid of my phone, I love what I can do with it, but that day was a reminder to completely disconnect from it from time to time to connect with the real world and with myself.
Substack post exploring different coping mechanisms that result from people pleasing, and how these create isolation from others and from ourselves.
We always talk about the fight or flight response when discussing defense mechanisms at times of danger, but we seem to forget another option that has been a bit neglected, the fawn response. Maybe we don’t bring it up as often as it’s imperceptible, almost invisible, entirely silent.
This resonated with me in such an uncomfortable way, putting up a mirror where I saw my teenage self completely lost in the crowd where she so intensely wanted to belong, yet completely lonely and confused. I’m currently reading The Town of Babylon by Alejandro Varela and there is a quote that particularly stood out to me which connected perfectly to the feelings that this piece brought up:
“I don’t know if I was aware of how hard I was trying, but somewhere in me, I sensed that if I ever stopped performing, even for a moment, the audience would leave; so, in a way, I left first.”
I dreamt of running away and starting over for years and years on end, of being able to escape the versions of myself that I had molded myself into, the ones that appeased others and kept me “safe”. I eventually did it, and on my way, I left behind almost every single relationship that I had built up to that point in my life. How could I maintain them and this front when I was now faced with the fact that I had no idea who I was? I still dream of running away when things get hard but at least I now know that I no longer need to fawn.
Gender is dead, long live gender: just what is performativity?
Essay breaking down the philosophy of Judith Butler regarding gender through the exploration of the concept of performativity which argues that gender is constructed by action.
I have been thinking non-stop about the act of performance, hence my interest in this essay. Where does the line between performance and reality get blurred and exist as one another? Judith Butler argues that there is no line as the process through which patterns of action and language repeat themselves, reality is shaped, particularly regarding gender.
I recently watched the documentary Will & Harper, where Will Ferrell and his recently transitioned and lifelong friend Harper, embark on a cross-country road trip. In this documentary, Harper opens up about her experience with life living in the closet and her gender dysmorphia, even after her transition. One thing that I couldn’t get out of my head after I finished watching it was the fact that she was having a difficult time with feeling good about how she looks and her femininity while doing her makeup, which then Will responds to with the fact that that is the universal experience of womanhood.
This is only one unfortunate way in which this construction is manifested through performance but I believe that this carries over into a great deal of areas of life. I see so many people online fighting over people being performative but what does that even mean? I perform when I choose what to wear every morning. I perform every time I pick a new book to read. I perform when I make a presentation for school. I perform through the words I use to communicate with others. Performance is just a series of choices that we make to align ourselves with the version of ourselves we strive to be.
Video dissecting and analyzing the influential masterpiece by Hieronymus Bosch’s, The Garden of Earthly Delights, through the perspective that might have been had during the time of its creation.
During my brief stay in Madrid, I knew I had to go to Museo del Prado as I hadn’t been in a few years. This is undoubtedly one of my favorite museums in the world, dare I say I like it better than the Uffizi in my beloved Florence. This time was different than the previous times I had visited for several reasons, one of them being that I was completely alone which meant I could take as long as I wanted, not having to rush from room to room without giving the pieces a second thought.
You are not allowed to take any pictures inside the museum so I took this opportunity to pull out my journal and write down all of my favorite pieces along with my thoughts on them. Undoubtedly, The Garden of Earthly Delights made its way into my list as this is a piece that has stayed with me ever since I saw it for the first time when I was still a little kid. Here is an excerpt of what I wrote in my diary regarding the piece (translated from Spanish):
I think words aren’t enough to describe my feelings in the face of this piece. I only know that religion, taken to a certain point, leads to true miracles, not holy ones, but artistic ones.
I had watched this video a few years ago but it felt appropriate to have a little refresher. This piece will suck you in and leave you perpetually finding new things, which I most certainly do every time I am lucky enough to find myself in front of it.
Substack post arguing that women must fight back against the social and patriarchal pressures to remain complacent, content, and ashamed by allowing ourselves to always keep striving for more.
This was one of my favorite pieces I’ve ever read here on Substack. Not only was it brilliantly written but it struck a chord that I forgot was even there. It reminded me of something that I had written in my journal a few months ago, something that I’ve also shared with my closest friends as I think we, particularly as women, need to engrave in our minds. I will leave you with it and hopefully it stays with you as well:
I do not want stagnant feelings. I want development. I want growth. I never want to feel like I got there. I want to feel like there's always something else out there for me because there is because the universe is growing indefinitely and so am I. And that is the beautiful thing about living. There are no edges, there is no ceiling. I am my own ceiling.
I really love your thoughts about Performance. I totally can relate, for the brain it is safe to repeat the pattern we learned. But for the soul it is dramatic not to thrive and learn. To break the toxic circle and learn to really be.
At least for me.
<33!!