4 ms·

Maybe the writeup doesn't do book justice but it all sounds like boiler plate views journalists have on SV with no real insight. Mike Judge probably doesn't hav

by blfr 7y ago

Maybe the writeup doesn't do book justice but it all sounds like boiler plate views journalists have on SV with no real insight. Mike Judge probably doesn't have to worry about any competition even after the series ended.

BoiledCabbage 7y ago
That write up / article is terrible, but the sample of writing that russler23 linked above from n+1 was really very good.
dragonwriter 7y ago
> Maybe the writeup doesn't do book justice but it all sounds like boiler plate views journalists have on SV with no real insight. It's from someone with experience in the environment, so maybe it's just that the “boilerplate views” are common because they accurately reflect the situation, which would itself be a valuable (though uncomfortable to the same people that like to dismiss the perspective as “boilerplate views”) insight.
- blfr 7y ago
  The boilerplate views do not accurately reflect the situation. For example, Essentially, she says: “It’s important to remember that Google is an ad platform and that Facebook is a surveillance platform.” Google does indeed run an ad platform. But that's like calling any magazine or newspaper an ad platform. True, yet neither accurate nor interesting. And don't get me wrong. I'm all for adblocking and razing Facebook to the ground. But I don't want to read empty mood affiliation pieces.
  - ForHackernews 7y ago
    C'mon, Google is an ad platform. Everything Google does that isn't selling ads is a rounding error next to the ads. At least newspapers and magazines have subscribers that pay directly for the content. In fact, since Google and Facebook have eaten their advertising lunch, legacy publishers are more dependent on subscription revenue: https://medium.com/the-graph/advertising-vs-subscription-a4200642842e https://medium.com/the-graph/advertising-vs-subscription-a42...
  - TazeTSchnitzel 7y ago
    Google is more of an ad platform than a traditional printed publication. For one thing, printed publications usually have another revenue stream. For another thing, Google runs adverts on other websites and develops advertising technology.
- weberc2 7y ago
  I don't make claims that SV is one way or another, nor do I dismiss anything, but the skeptical response to your proposal is that hers is just another data point, and our media systems only select for data points that support certain narratives. Perhaps this sounds conspiratorial, but it's not that far fetched if you consider how much the newsmedia and literary industries skew progressive and the fact that the narratives in question are progressive narratives--it's not a conspiracy but rather the predictable fruit of two utterly homogeneous industries.
bellme8947 7y ago
I gave up on SV (the show) when the only female character I saw after several episodes was a hot assistant. I don’t care what her character arc turned out to be, that’s a bad look. Hopefully, a show based on a female former insider’s experience will offer something beyond that.
- Terretta 7y ago
  Do you mean the VC director working for the VC managing partner, who is female as well?
- Galaxeblaffer 7y ago
  Why is it a bad look ? If you'd actually watch the show they have many female characters that are not hot assistants and they even touch on the subject directly later on. It's kind of hard for me to fathom how that particular aspect can make someone give up on a satire TV-show
- blfr 7y ago
  I remember someone noticing that their Techcrunch Disrupt crowd was very white but they were using real footage. Although the best commentary probably comes late in the series, and very briefly so it's easy to miss, when a sociopathic (white, male) COO comes to Pied Piper offices and right off the bat comments that the gender balance is quite nice but could use a little colour.
- sjg007 7y ago
  She does evolve and there also a female VC. There’s some stereotyping though. Later episodes have other female character arcs but the are only in scope around the main characters.
fredgrott 7y ago
read Pnado daily founder's take on it
forgottenpass 7y ago
>boiler plate views [] on SV with no real insight. Judging by only this article and the author's n+1 article, I get the expectation that the contents will be not-wrong but not-far-enough. The "boiler plate views" as you put it are popular because they contain blind spots - intentional or not - where a lot of damning criticism can be found. But their exclusion gives comfort to people with one foot in the valley bubble. People will more readily accept criticism of something that involves them if they get to sit on the periphery unscathed. The risk to such coverage is that the reaction is surface level adaptation. Where problems don't get fixed, they just evolve to be less tangible.

by blfr 7y ago

BoiledCabbage 7y ago

That write up / article is terrible, but the sample of writing that russler23 linked above from n+1 was really very good.

dragonwriter 7y ago

> Maybe the writeup doesn't do book justice but it all sounds like boiler plate views journalists have on SV with no real insight. It's from someone with experience in the environment, so maybe it's just that the “boilerplate views” are common because they accurately reflect the situation, which would itself be a valuable (though uncomfortable to the same people that like to dismiss the perspective as “boilerplate views”) insight.

blfr 7y ago
The boilerplate views do not accurately reflect the situation. For example, Essentially, she says: “It’s important to remember that Google is an ad platform and that Facebook is a surveillance platform.” Google does indeed run an ad platform. But that's like calling any magazine or newspaper an ad platform. True, yet neither accurate nor interesting. And don't get me wrong. I'm all for adblocking and razing Facebook to the ground. But I don't want to read empty mood affiliation pieces.
- ForHackernews 7y ago
  C'mon, Google is an ad platform. Everything Google does that isn't selling ads is a rounding error next to the ads. At least newspapers and magazines have subscribers that pay directly for the content. In fact, since Google and Facebook have eaten their advertising lunch, legacy publishers are more dependent on subscription revenue: https://medium.com/the-graph/advertising-vs-subscription-a4200642842e https://medium.com/the-graph/advertising-vs-subscription-a42...
- TazeTSchnitzel 7y ago
  Google is more of an ad platform than a traditional printed publication. For one thing, printed publications usually have another revenue stream. For another thing, Google runs adverts on other websites and develops advertising technology.
weberc2 7y ago
I don't make claims that SV is one way or another, nor do I dismiss anything, but the skeptical response to your proposal is that hers is just another data point, and our media systems only select for data points that support certain narratives. Perhaps this sounds conspiratorial, but it's not that far fetched if you consider how much the newsmedia and literary industries skew progressive and the fact that the narratives in question are progressive narratives--it's not a conspiracy but rather the predictable fruit of two utterly homogeneous industries.

bellme8947 7y ago

I gave up on SV (the show) when the only female character I saw after several episodes was a hot assistant. I don’t care what her character arc turned out to be, that’s a bad look. Hopefully, a show based on a female former insider’s experience will offer something beyond that.

Terretta 7y ago
Do you mean the VC director working for the VC managing partner, who is female as well?
Galaxeblaffer 7y ago
Why is it a bad look ? If you'd actually watch the show they have many female characters that are not hot assistants and they even touch on the subject directly later on. It's kind of hard for me to fathom how that particular aspect can make someone give up on a satire TV-show
blfr 7y ago
I remember someone noticing that their Techcrunch Disrupt crowd was very white but they were using real footage. Although the best commentary probably comes late in the series, and very briefly so it's easy to miss, when a sociopathic (white, male) COO comes to Pied Piper offices and right off the bat comments that the gender balance is quite nice but could use a little colour.
sjg007 7y ago
She does evolve and there also a female VC. There’s some stereotyping though. Later episodes have other female character arcs but the are only in scope around the main characters.

fredgrott 7y ago

read Pnado daily founder's take on it

forgottenpass 7y ago

>boiler plate views [] on SV with no real insight. Judging by only this article and the author's n+1 article, I get the expectation that the contents will be not-wrong but not-far-enough. The "boiler plate views" as you put it are popular because they contain blind spots - intentional or not - where a lot of damning criticism can be found. But their exclusion gives comfort to people with one foot in the valley bubble. People will more readily accept criticism of something that involves them if they get to sit on the periphery unscathed. The risk to such coverage is that the reaction is surface level adaptation. Where problems don't get fixed, they just evolve to be less tangible.