On this episode we welcome Devon Powers, Temple University Professor of Advertising and author of Writing the Record: The Village Voice and the Birth of Rock Criticism and On Trend: The Business of Forecasting the Future. Together we explore the moral, economic and political dynamics inherent in futurism, with a few digressions to consider interior design games, hugging machines and sex robots. Also, it turns out that nanoinfluencers are a thing: we know that there are them, and we are in fact them. Two very important mysteries are solved as Devon weighs in on whether Rosalie invented the abbreviation “JK” and helps Phyllis explain what “fungible” means. Among Devon’s own predictions is “the great shorn” – #baldisbeautiful2021. On a serious note, Detective Data does it again with an update to the audience readiness score reported about in previous episodes. Where on the 0-100 scale are audience members rating their willingness to return to in-person events? There’s only one way to find out: LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE.
Links:
On Trend: The Business of Forecasting the Future.
Writing the Record: The Village Voice and the Birth of Rock Criticism (2013
Blowing Up the Brand: Critical Perspectives on Promotional Culture
Faith Popcorn – hugging machines
Pierre Bourdieu (sp???) term
Afrofuturism – overview from UCLA.edu
Sinofuturism – Discussion in SFRA Review
Hannah Arendt – The Human Condition
The Rippey Sisters Podcast 