"So you treat your inputs like they matter—because they do. And you let your attention become an act of reverence."
I really enjoyed reading your essay, it has given me so much to think about. I am on the journey you talk about, a little late in life - I'm old - but enjoying becoming me. It isn't a 'look at me' thing, more a slowness and richness that threads through reading and music and food and how I 'am' in the world. Sometimes I need courage to step out of line of my conditioning, I guess algorithms have always been there, choosing how to behave, what to wear, listen too, believe. All of it more about others than any core self belief.
And you are right. Taste is about self respect, perhaps strength of character, courage.
Thank you for posting, you've made a difference to my day and the days beyond.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment, Paul. I’m so glad to hear this piece resonated with you. Acting with discernment when it comes to what we allow in our heads is more important now than ever. It’s hard to be present (in the world, and in our bodies) when we’re constantly flooded with noise, especially noise we didn’t choose. Thanks again for reading—here’s to tasteful, blissful, present days ahead.
Is this written with AI? GPTZero analysed this text and gives it a 96% probability of being AI-written... it reads like it, I'm genuinely shocked people are engaging with this on a serious level. If people are reading this and thinking it's remotely enlightening, then perhaps you do need an education in discernment and taste.
'Substack—if you let it—can teach you to think. But only if you’re intentional.'
This is actual brainrot, I'm so sick of stuff like this being peddled on Substack by literal robots. Stop curating Pinterest vibes pictures and pretending you have taste - you're not 'curating' taste by bookmarking aesthetic posts on X, you're just glorifying distraction and frying your capacity to pay attention or think critically – it's solipsistic cope for being incapable of real intellectual or spiritual engagement with art.
Typical ChatGPT-brained zingerrr lol – you are incapable of articulating an intelligent response and arguing in defence your poorly written vagaries and cliches. Bot.
Yes, I definitely noticed the AI style. Doesn't mean the whole thing is bad, but it became a skim read for me. And left me wondering what the hell is 'taste'?
Yeah unless this was a sly bit of irony intended to trick readers ("you thought you were above the ai slop, but look, even here you were suckered in!"), it unfortunately misses the mark on style. Which is a shame because several of the core ideas are really good, and style is the subject!
Please take these as words of encouragement rather than attack. You're genuinely on to something, but you should trust your own voice. Style matters dearly when you want your work to have staying power. Here the style misses on pacing, frequency of line breaks, consistency in sentence structure, argument development, and turns of phrase which feel a bit too inorganic. Those should be easy fixes though. And fun!
Keep playing with these ideas and trust your gut. Just don't be lulled into a false sense of security by the viral engagement (unless you're doing irony here, in which case, well done, joke's on us!)
imagine being so dumb you just assume everything outside of your own comprehension is now AI
IS THIS AN AI RESPONSE TOO OMGGGG IT CAN'T BE
how silly do people have to be to spend their time harassing people who are doing work, rather than spending their precious time and attention *checks notes* doing work of their own
i'd rather use AI to assist my writing and editing than be a full-blown NPC (that's you, if that wasn't clear)
You’re too dum* to even understand why you’re obvious.
AI is not assisting your writing—it’s doing the writing for you. And that’s okay. You deserve the pay piggies—because in the end—the piggies need their AI slop and you’re simply the dealer.
That’s what you sound like. ^^^^ Crazy you write about curating taste while posting daily sloptent. Do you see the irony? Doesn’t matter as you are most likely a brown m** from Mumbai
Its alright, I think at some point everyone notices the hints that says AI written. But the post is still good. She curated, she had to have had taste to put this out. You could have but you didn't
These platforms like GPTZero are unreliable; they rate my own essays at 25-40% AI written depending on how my writer's block is that day.
If I plug in even two paragraph for LLMs to offer feedback and revise, which I then paraphrase back into my writing WITHOUT ANY copy+paste, that number jumps to 80-99%.
“Taste isn’t about status, it’s about self-respect.”
Exactly right. In fact, people with no taste are even more likely to be influenced by superficial trends and keeping up with the Joneses to save face. Having a sense of discernment about what one consumes is beneficial for one’s soul. Think about that before being worried about being seen as snooty or elitist.
Beautiful (and tasteful 😉) piece! You made so many insightful connections and I agree that discernment and careful, thoughtful curation of our consumption and environments in the age of media blitzkreig is absolutely a new facet of intelligence and elevation of consciousness. Sharing this on to friends who don't have Substack.
Thank you so much, Lynette. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by everything available to consume and have to remember to step back and practice discernment myself. Can't elevate consciousness when we can't even hear our own thoughts bc there's too much noise. Thanks for reading and sharing :)
Absolutely, Stephanie! Thanks for writing! This is a piece I will return to. Very thought-provoking and timely. Great discussion piece. It resonates deeply✨
Thanks, Stepfanie. You've given me a new lens to explore the concept of engaged alignment. Feel the vibe Does it resonate? Keep it if it does. Delete it if it doesn't. I am in the process of curating my inputs. My attention is a limited resource, and I can't afford to waste it on cheap dopamine hits, whether they come from social media or the news cycle. Looking further to reading more of your posts. You have good taste. :-)
with online culture and consumerism being overstimulating, this is a great reminder of individual power in curating what you want to surround yourself with
Beautifully written and full of quotes that makes you think about how you interact with what's around you ❤️ Taste is finding this post and knowing is going to change your life. Thank you, Stepfanie.
"So you treat your inputs like they matter—because they do. And you let your attention become an act of reverence."
I really enjoyed reading your essay, it has given me so much to think about. I am on the journey you talk about, a little late in life - I'm old - but enjoying becoming me. It isn't a 'look at me' thing, more a slowness and richness that threads through reading and music and food and how I 'am' in the world. Sometimes I need courage to step out of line of my conditioning, I guess algorithms have always been there, choosing how to behave, what to wear, listen too, believe. All of it more about others than any core self belief.
And you are right. Taste is about self respect, perhaps strength of character, courage.
Thank you for posting, you've made a difference to my day and the days beyond.
Thank you for this thoughtful comment, Paul. I’m so glad to hear this piece resonated with you. Acting with discernment when it comes to what we allow in our heads is more important now than ever. It’s hard to be present (in the world, and in our bodies) when we’re constantly flooded with noise, especially noise we didn’t choose. Thanks again for reading—here’s to tasteful, blissful, present days ahead.
Love this. I feel this.
Is this written with AI? GPTZero analysed this text and gives it a 96% probability of being AI-written... it reads like it, I'm genuinely shocked people are engaging with this on a serious level. If people are reading this and thinking it's remotely enlightening, then perhaps you do need an education in discernment and taste.
'Substack—if you let it—can teach you to think. But only if you’re intentional.'
This is actual brainrot, I'm so sick of stuff like this being peddled on Substack by literal robots. Stop curating Pinterest vibes pictures and pretending you have taste - you're not 'curating' taste by bookmarking aesthetic posts on X, you're just glorifying distraction and frying your capacity to pay attention or think critically – it's solipsistic cope for being incapable of real intellectual or spiritual engagement with art.
Who hurt you, Margaret?
Typical ChatGPT-brained zingerrr lol – you are incapable of articulating an intelligent response and arguing in defence your poorly written vagaries and cliches. Bot.
You're 1000% right. All "her" posts are written by ai. It's all slop, including and most likely, the replies in the comments.
Crazy she charges money for gullible readers to read chatgpt posts... The economy of the future.
Yes, I definitely noticed the AI style. Doesn't mean the whole thing is bad, but it became a skim read for me. And left me wondering what the hell is 'taste'?
Yeah unless this was a sly bit of irony intended to trick readers ("you thought you were above the ai slop, but look, even here you were suckered in!"), it unfortunately misses the mark on style. Which is a shame because several of the core ideas are really good, and style is the subject!
Please take these as words of encouragement rather than attack. You're genuinely on to something, but you should trust your own voice. Style matters dearly when you want your work to have staying power. Here the style misses on pacing, frequency of line breaks, consistency in sentence structure, argument development, and turns of phrase which feel a bit too inorganic. Those should be easy fixes though. And fun!
Keep playing with these ideas and trust your gut. Just don't be lulled into a false sense of security by the viral engagement (unless you're doing irony here, in which case, well done, joke's on us!)
yes, totally—jokes on the 4k+ people who found resonance
thanks for the tips, blake, noted ;)
lmao this is even an ai reply wtf
imagine being so dumb you just assume everything outside of your own comprehension is now AI
IS THIS AN AI RESPONSE TOO OMGGGG IT CAN'T BE
how silly do people have to be to spend their time harassing people who are doing work, rather than spending their precious time and attention *checks notes* doing work of their own
i'd rather use AI to assist my writing and editing than be a full-blown NPC (that's you, if that wasn't clear)
xoxo
You’re too dum* to even understand why you’re obvious.
AI is not assisting your writing—it’s doing the writing for you. And that’s okay. You deserve the pay piggies—because in the end—the piggies need their AI slop and you’re simply the dealer.
That’s what you sound like. ^^^^ Crazy you write about curating taste while posting daily sloptent. Do you see the irony? Doesn’t matter as you are most likely a brown m** from Mumbai
Its alright, I think at some point everyone notices the hints that says AI written. But the post is still good. She curated, she had to have had taste to put this out. You could have but you didn't
Margaret, It's funny you care about how this was made. Did you find it moving? interesting? Did it make a point?
Do you also wonder if your favourite soap was handmade or machine made I guess not :)
These platforms like GPTZero are unreliable; they rate my own essays at 25-40% AI written depending on how my writer's block is that day.
If I plug in even two paragraph for LLMs to offer feedback and revise, which I then paraphrase back into my writing WITHOUT ANY copy+paste, that number jumps to 80-99%.
“Taste is a responsibility” is a great way to put it.
Develop your taste. It will make you and the ones you interact with more fulfilled.
Surrounding yourself with people who have great taste is also helpful :)
“Taste isn’t about status, it’s about self-respect.”
Exactly right. In fact, people with no taste are even more likely to be influenced by superficial trends and keeping up with the Joneses to save face. Having a sense of discernment about what one consumes is beneficial for one’s soul. Think about that before being worried about being seen as snooty or elitist.
Exactly. You can’t feed the soul with noise.
Saving this so I can have my 9th grade art school students read it in August. Love this analysis!
Oh wow, I love that. Thanks, Russell—I hope they enjoy it :)
"He just sits, listens, and senses." Sensual intelligence is going to be a big one in the coming years 👌
Discernment is one of my favorite words. You’ve now expanded it for me! Thank you! ❤️❤️❤️
Beautiful (and tasteful 😉) piece! You made so many insightful connections and I agree that discernment and careful, thoughtful curation of our consumption and environments in the age of media blitzkreig is absolutely a new facet of intelligence and elevation of consciousness. Sharing this on to friends who don't have Substack.
Thank you so much, Lynette. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by everything available to consume and have to remember to step back and practice discernment myself. Can't elevate consciousness when we can't even hear our own thoughts bc there's too much noise. Thanks for reading and sharing :)
Absolutely, Stephanie! Thanks for writing! This is a piece I will return to. Very thought-provoking and timely. Great discussion piece. It resonates deeply✨
Omg i love Love LOVE this article!!!
Thanks so much, Sandra :)
The structure is really good! And great refs! I also wrote about taste as the new creative differentiator (in the AI context): https://open.substack.com/pub/gaelpineirobeiraselmedia/p/taste-as-the-creative-differentiator?r=2m0mci&utm_medium=ios
Thanks, Stepfanie. You've given me a new lens to explore the concept of engaged alignment. Feel the vibe Does it resonate? Keep it if it does. Delete it if it doesn't. I am in the process of curating my inputs. My attention is a limited resource, and I can't afford to waste it on cheap dopamine hits, whether they come from social media or the news cycle. Looking further to reading more of your posts. You have good taste. :-)
with online culture and consumerism being overstimulating, this is a great reminder of individual power in curating what you want to surround yourself with
Wow, I’ve never been so gobsmacked by words! Intentionality is key and is so beautiful!
Thanks Angelica, I'm so glad to hear it resonated with you 🩶
This was wonderful and so useful, thanks
Beautifully written and full of quotes that makes you think about how you interact with what's around you ❤️ Taste is finding this post and knowing is going to change your life. Thank you, Stepfanie.
Oh wow, that’s so kind of you to say, ty. I’m glad it resonated with you, Patricia. Thanks for reading ❤️