7/17/20 Recommended Issues: Sci-fi & brands, TikTok, Modern Monetary Theory

Issues Worth Reading

Here is this week’s Worth Reading-- a set of interesting newsletter issues that may have flown under your radar:

SCI-FI MOVIES, BRANDS, & PSYCHOLOGY 

• The Real Brands in Fictional Worlds Edition. (In Why is this interesting? by Noah Brier and Colin Nagy on July 10, 2020.)  Product placement in movies (like Reese’s Pieces in E.T.) has been around for a long time and it’s pretty easy to think of it as just “advertising” (ie, an additional revenue stream for the movie). But, this newsletter issue discusses a different, very compelling psychological reason why other-worldly, futuristic science fiction movies leverage famous brands: “The conspicuous appearance of a real-life brand in an unfamiliar fictional world is a shortcut to a sense of naturalism.” It both shocks you and then makes something “different” suddenly more relatable, drawing you into the movie even more deeply. The issue is worth reading to gain a new perspective on the psychology of making/watching movies...although you may never see a sci-fi movie the same way again. (1050 words; ~4minutes) Read it...

TIKTOK TECH, PRIVACY, & POLITICS

• The TikTok War (In Stratechery by Ben Thompson on July 14, 2020).  This is worth reading if you’re at all interested in actually understanding why the TikTok app is such a big political deal around the globe right now. This issue goes deeper than you can imagine about the history of TikTok, the algorithm, the data it collects, the effects of its ownership structure, etc - and offers some deep insight into possible pathways forward. You’ll feel a lot more knowledgeable about what the major issues and debates currently are around the app (like you could now actually explain it to your grandmother or your best non-technical friend) and why it matters. (3963 words; ~14.5minutes) Read it...

MODERN MONETARY THEORY… in plain English

• What I've Learned about Modern Monetary Theory. (In Tomasz Tunguz’s newsletter on July 13, 2020)  I fully recognize that most people fall asleep at the thought of hearing about monetary policies, but what’s interesting about this short piece is that you’ll actually be able to grok what in the world the Modern Monetary Theory is, at least at a high level. It may even lead you to ask some questions, or form your own opinion on whether you agree/disagree. It’s worth reading if you have the slightest curiosity about economics and monetary theories and want a simple, written-for-regular-people explanation… with the side benefit of sounding just a skosh smarter during your next water cooler conversation. (473 words; ~2minutes) Read it...

We hope you gained some interesting new perspectives. If there are any categories of newsletters you’d most prefer to hear about, feel free to reply and let me know. I’d love to hear from you: newsletters@narrowscale.com.

As always, if you’re interested in receiving more from any of the newsletters above, you’re always welcome to subscribe to Why is this interesting?, Stratechery, or Tomasz Tunguz’s newsletter.

Also, if you haven't signed up to narrowSCALE's newsletter so you get Worth Reading delivered to your inbox, do that below…

~Jessica