• Organized fun: who’s it all for? - Former London dweller returns to the city and discovers that something has changed. Gone is the habit of popping into a just-discovered club or exhibition. Thanks to the "experience economy", everything is now "strangely occupational". Every event is marketed and monetised, and usually sells out in advance. All of this organised fun is "the antidote to, and the accelerator of, alienation." (The Face via The Browser)

• Your Favorite Podcast Is Probably an ‘Experience’ Now - In an effort to keep listeners’ attention, teams behind “My Favorite Murder” and other shows are creating IRL events. (Wired)

• When Everything Becomes an Event - Historically, events have been vital community-building tools and catalysts for action. Every culture, including the most ancient and obscure, has its repertoire of events that marks various milestones, commemorates the past, and molds community while serving as an outlet for emotions. Still, what we have seen in the last three years is another generation of events—not entirely created, but certainly ushered in, by the pandemic and our use of virtual event platforms. This new breed of events is a turn from the extraordinary to the mundane. (Slate)

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