3 ms·

I feel like this article is missing a key point: the impact of social media on cultural "heroes." I genuinely feel like I'm talking to someone from another cul

I feel like this article is missing a key point: the impact of social media on cultural "heroes." I genuinely feel like I'm talking to someone from another culture when I chat with people 10 years younger than me. Most of them are heavy into Tik Tok, Instagram, etc. Their music icons, fashion icons, acting icons, activism icons, and business icons are mostly people I have never heard about. I think this article is an example of that: With the exception of Elon Musk and Bill Gates, I can't think of any "business" heroes that most people outside of the academic/tech social bubble would be familiar with. But for those of us inside the bubble (including the author), yeah, it feels like there's a billion business "heroes" popping up all over and drawing adoring fans. Another interesting trend: these "heroes" seem to come and go much more quickly, moving at the rapid-fire pace of social media. I think cultural heroes still exist. They're just fragmented into various cultural bubbles, and they come and go much more quickly. So, yes, there do seem to be less "heroes of the masses" that every person under the sun knows of. But the "heroes of the moment" seem to be multiplying daily.

jcranmer 6y ago
> With the exception of Elon Musk and Bill Gates, I can't think of any "business" heroes that most people outside of the academic/tech social bubble would be familiar with. Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, (when he was alive) Steve Jobs, and maybe Jeff Bezos are probably the only other business people of the era that most people would recognize. Now Zuckerberg would probably not be seen in a good light by most people, but Jobs would, and Buffett and (less probably) Bezos probably would by anyone with a smattering of interest in business world.
- paperwasp42 6y ago
  The interesting thing is that my generation (mid-twenties) and younger seem to view all those names as villains. I'm quite interested in all the people you listed for their achievements, but I feel like most of my friends are more interested in their shortcomings. Buffett is a "rich old white dude." Zuckerberg is evil. Jobs was sexist and a crappy father. Bezos is taking over the world and also evil. It's an odd trend in my generation to eagerly try to dismantle any respect earned by people who belong to older generations. On one hand, I appreciate that people are more skeptical of treating rich people like gods. On the other hand, the constant judging of character feels uncomfortably close to the cult-like religion I grew up with.

jcranmer 6y ago

> With the exception of Elon Musk and Bill Gates, I can't think of any "business" heroes that most people outside of the academic/tech social bubble would be familiar with. Warren Buffett, Mark Zuckerberg, (when he was alive) Steve Jobs, and maybe Jeff Bezos are probably the only other business people of the era that most people would recognize. Now Zuckerberg would probably not be seen in a good light by most people, but Jobs would, and Buffett and (less probably) Bezos probably would by anyone with a smattering of interest in business world.

paperwasp42 6y ago
The interesting thing is that my generation (mid-twenties) and younger seem to view all those names as villains. I'm quite interested in all the people you listed for their achievements, but I feel like most of my friends are more interested in their shortcomings. Buffett is a "rich old white dude." Zuckerberg is evil. Jobs was sexist and a crappy father. Bezos is taking over the world and also evil. It's an odd trend in my generation to eagerly try to dismantle any respect earned by people who belong to older generations. On one hand, I appreciate that people are more skeptical of treating rich people like gods. On the other hand, the constant judging of character feels uncomfortably close to the cult-like religion I grew up with.