The Devil Wears Out

What comes next?

Nikita Walia

and

Christina Monroe

Jun 27, 2025

Anna Wintour is out.

Derek Thompson

announces he is on Substack, the same week they post jobs offering $300K+. Refinery29 is back from the dead. None of this feels stable, and enough digital ink has been spilled on the media model collapse in general. What I want to think about is a collapse of consensus.

To me, it feels like there was a center, not just culturally, but structurally. Legacy institutions worked as anchors that told you what to care about, how to talk about it, and who to trust. You could opt in or resist it, but now that looks like engaging with The Cut’s ragebait of the week.

Authority has become so fragmented across platforms, podcasts, Patreons. Writers and creators are building influence in the cracks of this system, and publishers are trying to buy back relevance wholesale by launching newsletters, Substacks, you name it. You can feel the desperation in the high-profile hires and the manufactured relevance through proximity.

The internet is training us to trust tone over big titles: say anything convincingly enough, and you’re right. So, what happens when there is really no consensus to orbit around? The hell we are living, I guess.

The Rise of the TikTok Oracle

Nikita Walia

Mar 4

Cultural criticism has become a performative identity. Once the domain of academia and journalism, it’s now a currency for digital clout. The question isn’t just why critique thrives online—it’s why it’s been reduced to soundbites, stripped of depth, and optimized for engagement over insight.

Read full story

This week, I attended a biohacking demo day at USV. There were demos for microplastic elimination supplements, on-demand blood testing, AI tools that weave together data from wearables into something legible, and AI doctors. At the end of the session, Bryan Johnson himself spoke, and what stuck with me isn’t one of his many protocols: it was his parting thought, namely, “What will separate us from AI is our biology.”

It reinforced something I’ve been exploring in Optimized to Death and in my theory of artisanal reality: that humanness is no longer assumed. It has to be performed. Très Blade Runner.

This week's picks include r/myboyfriendisAI, otaku fandom and the Baddie Performance Index.

Christina’s weekly scroll—

Looks like it’s a Roberto Cavalli x SKIMS summer!!!
Google invested $100M for a 4% stake in Gentle Monster. I, for one, am excited to see how these smart glasses turn out :~)
The agreement is part of the development of a new model of smart glasses that Google will launch in 2026, jointly designed by Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, with Samsung responsible for the hardware part. The device will run on Android XR, the specific operating system for this new generation of visual wearables.
Louis Vuitton’s going Labubu and releasing their own lil freaky bag charms, lol.
Can’t believe we got legit Roblox terrorists before GTA 6.
via FBI court documents
Enjoyed this reading list from The Sociology of Business on otaku fandom.
The more the left has attacked Liv Schmidt, the more the right has celebrated her.
More from MAGA women in this insane scene report from the largest young conservative women’s event in the country.
I’ve been really enjoying the marketing for Zach Cregger’s Weapons. Plus, the trailers are interesting without giving too much away. Great stuff.
Do NBA players perform better with a baddie courtside? Enter: the Baddie Performance Index.
AI is coming for fanficition and our fonts.
via @doomscroll_forever

Nikita’s weekly scroll—

This week in high-profile brand editorial projects? Chanel is launching a magazine.
Vogue UK is launching a sports desk. I think the only monoculture we have left is sport and like, the Minecraft movie so that tracks.
I love this story about seniors at the club!!!!!
I’m sure you’ve seen the handwringing these past few weeks about intellectualism being in, intellectualism being out, you name it. As always
ANU
threads everything together masterfully, with an appearance from my TikTok Oracle essay of course!
WHAT'S ANU
25.8 ILLUSIONS OF INTELLECT
Intellectualism is having a moment. Back in January, I highlighted the ‘literary revival’, encompassing branded zines, brand x book club collabs, and brand libraries, as a trend to watch for continued acceleration this year. Over the past few months, I’ve seen further developments noted by…
Read more
5 days ago · 46 likes · 9 comments · ANU
When I quit my job, I can only hope to have 8,000 words written about me. And the word incomparable in the headline! Michael Bierut has stepped down.
Why did Apple pull another ad? Hire me.
If Willy Chavarria takes the reins at Fendi, it will be very bad for my wallet.
It’s getting more expensive to play ball. And that’s reshaping the NBA.
Admittedly, this is in my to-be-read tabs, but why would I ever not recommend
Arabelle Sicardi
going long on perfume and AI?
Glad fashion houses are beginning to address the quality problem!
Travis Scott has been named the ‘Chief Visionary’ of Oakley. Bold move to unveil this while the Astroworld documentary reverberates across social, but!
When a brand is built to be bought, you can just feel it.
Kim Kardashian Bratz movie: say that five times fast!
If you’re my friend, I will not be mad if you do not pay for my hypothetical Substack paid tier. And anyone making their friends feel that way is a weirdo!
What’s going on here with… Messy… why are we doing this TJ Maxx art-core?
Can the Gap turnaround work?
r/myboyfriendisAI makes me so sad. Ryan Broderick at Garbage Day got into it.
I loved this long read on New Balance’s strategy. They are smashing it. I love when you can tell that a brand is hungry.
I loved this from
Rachel Karten
this week. This quote stuck with me, especially.
The same skills you have that help sell toothpaste, fast food, or kitchen appliances can easily be applied to a political life, and may be the difference of someone being able to afford healthcare or rent. A lot of corporate life means being assigned to work on projects that are often beyond one’s control or choice. But all of us can use our time and our talents to fight for something like a $30 minimum wage and potentially change the lives of millions of people in the process.
Prada officially engages Anthony Edwards.
Daniel-Yaw Miller
has been on this beat for a moment.