Ruby Thelot on Internet Culture, AI, and the Future of Taste

Ruby Justice Thurlow explores cyber ethnography as the study of online group behavior and emerging digital phenomena. He explains that the field has accelerated due to rapid technology cycles, making it difficult for researchers to document novel social behaviors before they evolve. A key challenge is distinguishing genuine trends from algorithmic illusions: journalists and researchers may perceive trends as significant based on their own algorithmic feeds, when data analysis reveals different patterns. Thurlow cites his research on heteropessimism, finding that dating content on TikTok is predominantly positive, contradicting widespread media narratives.

Thurlow introduces the concept of "balkanization and babblification of the internet," describing how fragmented digital communities develop their own unique languages and aesthetics. Different subcultures (furries, incels, fashion communities) use identical words with completely different meanings, creating communication barriers when these terms break containment into mainstream culture. This fragmentation mirrors a pluriculture where there are multiple active cultural epicenters rather than a shared monoculture. Examples include Dime Square in New York and distinct regional tech cultures across America.

He describes the evolution of content creation through audience capture, algorithmic capture, and now "machinic capture"—where creators optimize for algorithms, their audiences, and increasingly for bot interactions. With Cloudflare reporting 50% of internet traffic as bots, Thurlow predicts a future of machine-to-machine content generation and "machinic taste," where AI systems create for other AI systems with their own aesthetic preferences.

On the question of new aesthetics, Thurlow argues that many exist but aren't mass-market because finance now dominates culture production. He notes that new aesthetics require search, novel philosophy, and synthesis (like Brazilian funk mixed with anime). However, current incentive structures—from financialized culture industries to advertising-based media platforms—discourage both creators and critics from uplifting non-mainstream work. He critiques his own field of criticism for prioritizing clicks over genuine judgment.

Thurlow traces taste historically to 17th-century England, where it emerged as a framework for consuming virtuously during periods of rapid wealth creation and cultural anxiety. Taste represented how to navigate abundance without moral decay. He argues we're in a similar moment facing AI abundance, wealth, and intelligence, making taste—as a virtue guiding daily decisions—increasingly relevant. Rather than mere aesthetic preference, taste is about becoming ungovernable by algorithmic systems.

On AI sentiment, Thurlow finds Americans exhibit a stated preference against AI but revealed preference for it. People fear job loss but use AI tools like ChatGPT for practical problems (fixing faucets, daily management). There's a language gap between abstract AI fears and concrete beneficial applications. He predicts techno-optimism will rise when AI benefits align with American constituents' desires (employment, stability, family provision) rather than with theoretical concerns about existential risk.

Thurlow also discusses evolving social cues in digital spaces. New platforms generate novel communication rules (acceptable texting response times, Instagram story meanings, close friends groups) that previously didn't exist. Unlike traditional etiquette guides, online rules vary by platform and person, requiring constant calibration. He notes a grassroots Gen Z/Alpha movement (Summer of Ludd) representing pushback against technology's infringement on all life aspects, though rejecting technology entirely remains difficult.