EP.04 Noah Allaire on metaphors of taste, eating, and online consumption
Jan 17, 2022
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Noah Allaire, a New Mexico-based writer focused on digital unwellness, shares his insights on online consumption. He discusses his essay 'The Feeding,' exploring metaphors linking our daily eating habits to digital engagement. The conversation highlights the flaws in corporate digital wellness tools and offers a critique of their priorities over user well-being. Noah also reflects on the evolution of his writing amid the pandemic, pondering how digital experiences shape our emotions and responses.
Noah Allaire's analysis highlights how metaphors of taste in online consumption reveal deeper societal issues regarding digital engagement and wellness.
His personal journey from a tech industry role to independent writing emphasizes the importance of self-directed learning and interdisciplinary thought in understanding language.
Deep dives
Background and Professional Journey
Noah Allaire, a cognitive linguist and law student from Albuquerque, New Mexico, shares insights into his diverse career path. After completing a master's degree in linguistics, he worked as a linguistic project manager at Google, which provided him with a unique perspective on the tech industry. His experiences in different roles, including market research, led him to analyze how technology impacts society. Eventually, disillusioned by the tech world, he returned to Albuquerque to focus on self-study and writing, launching his Substack to explore these themes more deeply.
The Pursuit of Knowledge and Personal Growth
Noah's intellectual journey has been influenced by his non-traditional education, having been homeschooled and attending alternative schools. This background fostered a belief in his capacity to learn independently, which has shaped his research and writing endeavors. He emphasizes the importance of understanding language not just as a means of communication, but as a key aspect of the pursuit of knowledge. His exploration of linguistics has led him to connect scientific reasoning with the humanities, enriching his intellectual framework.
Metaphors of Online Consumption
In his writing, Noah examines the metaphors associated with online consumption, particularly in relation to digital wellness. He argues that the language we use to describe interactions with digital content—like 'browsing' and 'feeding'—reflects deeper issues surrounding our engagement with technology. His essay, 'The Feeding,' critiques digital wellness tools and suggests that they inadequately address the addictive nature of online content. He introduces concepts like 'anorexic browsing' to illustrate how users often seek engaging content without truly connecting, highlighting the need for a more mindful approach to social media consumption.
Ida speaks with New Mexico based writer Noah Allaire about his processes in research, thinking, and the pursuit of knowledge. They break down the ideas behind Noah's 2021 essay The Feeding, which is an analysis of digital unwellness and the conceptual metaphors most frequently used for exposure to online content. Read Noah's essays at virtuesignal.substack.com.
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