Generous Media
In the latest issue of his monthly newsletter, Robin Sloan shared a quick reflection on why the Criterion closet interviews are so effective, entertaining, and worth participating in for celebrities (emphasis mine):
Let’s think about the format that is the Criterion closet:
1. Makes people look smarter, rather than dumber;
2. invites them to praise other artists, other work; and
3. demonstrates the way in which praise is reflected back upon the giver, a positive-sum game, with no limit to the size of the pie.
His observation immediately reminded me of how Sloan — and many other of my favorite curators/writers/bloggers/link sharers — writes his newsletters & blogs posts. That kind of generosity, in some ways a result of the connective nature of hypertextual media, is a big part of what first attracted me to the open & personal web and keeps me engaged ~30 years later. And as someone who tries to adhere to #2 as much as possible these days, I can tell you that praising the work of others is great for one’s soul.
What other examples of generous media can you think of?
Comments 7
thread
latest
popular
Absolutely — reminds me of the distinction of work that spins you out or reels you in https://austinkleon.com/2021/03/29/books-that-suck-you-in-and-books-that-spin-you-out/
The best of the open web (RIP…) was the way it’s spins out to so many beautiful things and this site is one of my daily must reads for the same reason. Keeping that magic alive
Well, of course kottke.org is one my canonical examples of generous media. For so many years now! But there is a version that can be over-generous, and doesn’t strike the right balance. I’m thinking of something like the old Brain Pickings newsletter, now called the Marginalian I think, which was often so over the top and breathless in its praise of others’ work. Like the J Peterman catalog of intellectual curation. I’m not trying to be negative, but just noting that in curation it’s not always easy to strike the right balance.
My wife has started a personal project in this vein. She’s doing interviews with people who have found nontraditional paths to parenthood, or non-parenthood. Open and honest conversations meant to give voice to people whose life paths didn’t go as planned, or were just not the norm to begin with. It’s uplifting in a reaffirming way. Her and her project partner are calling it The Otherhood Collective.
Amoeba's What's In My Bag? Think Criterion Closet but for music.
Second this rec. Would daresay they're even better.
For more film criticism from someone who unabashedly loves movies and focuses on the positives while never ignoring things that should not be ignored:
Movies with Mikey
https://www.youtube.com/@filmjoy/videos
A representative example, his top 5 of 2024.
For me this is rap music. In its best form artists appreciate each other, and give respect to the ones that inspired them either directly or through sampling and subtle nods. There are, of course, also diss tracks, which are fun in a whole different way - but hey, there's place for both in the genre.
Hello! In order to comment or fave, you need to be a current kottke.org member. If you'd like to sign up for a membership to support the site and join the conversation, you can explore your options here.
Existing members can sign in here. If you're a former member, you can renew your membership.
Note: If you are a member and tried to log in, it didn't work, and now you're stuck in a neverending login loop of death, try disabling any ad blockers or extensions. Or try logging out and then back in. Still having trouble? Email me!
In order to comment or fave, you need to be a current kottke.org member. Check out your options for renewal.
This is the name that'll be displayed next to comments you make on kottke.org; your email will not be displayed publicly. I'd encourage you to use your real name (or at least your first name and last initial) but you can also pick something that you go by when you participate in communities online. Choose something durable and reasonably unique (not "Me" or "anon"). Please don't change this often. No impersonation.
Note: I'm letting folks change their display names because the membership service that kottke.org uses collects full names and I thought some people might not want their names displayed publicly here. If it gets abused, I might disable this feature.
If you feel like this comment goes against the grain of the community guidelines or is otherwise inappropriate, please let me know and I will take a look at it.
Hello! In order to leave a comment, you need to be a current kottke.org member. If you'd like to sign up for a membership to support the site and join the conversation, you can explore your options here.
Existing members can sign in here. If you're a former member, you can renew your membership.
Note: If you are a member and tried to log in, it didn't work, and now you're stuck in a neverending login loop of death, try disabling any ad blockers or extensions. Or try logging out and then back in. Still having trouble? Email me!