The Gray Area with Sean Illing

How we all became a brand

Jul 31, 2023

In this engaging conversation, Tara Isabella Burton, a cultural critic and author of 'Self-Made: Creating Our Identities from Da Vinci to Kardashian,' explores the modern landscape of personal branding. She delves into the evolution of identity from the Renaissance to today's social media-focused world, questioning the very idea of authenticity. Tara discusses how self-expression has shifted into performance, shaped by societal pressures, and examines the tension between individualism and community. This thought-provoking dialogue challenges us to reconsider how we craft our identities in a digital age.

52:40

Episode guests

Tara Isabella Burton

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

The Enlightenment and Montaigne: Challenging Traditional Beliefs

01:35

Self-Making as the Cultivation of Personality for Personal Gain

01:20

The Compulsive Need to Construct Ourselves: The Impact on Privacy and Success

01:29

Intro

2min

The Evolution of Identity in the Digital Age

15min

Exploring the Modern Concept of Self-Making and Personal Branding

5min

The Illusion of Authenticity

7min

The Art of Identity and Existence

5min

The Internet's Role in Shaping Commodification and Self-Identity

5min

The Paradox of Personal Branding

14min

What does it mean to be “authentic” in the digital age? Sean Illing speaks with Tara Isabella Burton about her new book, Self-Made: Creating Our Identities From Da Vinci to the Kardashians. They discuss the history of self-creation, how it’s evolved into personal branding, and why a more collective mindset could benefit all of us.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Tara Isabella Burton (@NotoriousTIB), author of Self-Made: Creating our Identities from Da Vinci to Kardashian

References:

Self-Made: Creating our Identities from Da Vinci to Kardashian by Tara Isabella Burton (Hachette, 2023)
Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World by Tara Isabella Burton (Hachette, 2022)
The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

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This episode was made by:

Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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