It's Been a Minute Folgen

Do you want to know the secret to making deeper friendships? Throw a dinner party.You'll feel less lonely, take care of people you love, and find out what's really going on in your community. Dinner parties are sort of a lost art, and our notions of what makes a worthy dinner party are being warped by social media. We're here with tips on how to throw one without feeling self-conscious.Brittany is joined by two dinner party experts: architecture & design journalist Carly Olson and chef & writer Garrett Schlichte. They discuss the pitfalls and pleasures of modern dinner parties, including how to host one without breaking the bank. (0:00) Why dinner parties are the perfect way to connect(2:01) Dinner parties of the past vs. now(4:57) How modern home design prioritizes individualism(8:32) Why social media discourages community building(14:00) Advice for throwing a good dinner party(16:58) How to let go of your anxiety of having people in your home(19:51) Ban the phones at home!Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Do you ever feel like the internet just doesn't work as well as it used to?  Or maybe you wish you could go back to the old internet?  Where your search queries actually served you what you wanted, and your feeds weren't overrun by ads?  Well, it's not just you - the internet IS getting worse, and platforms are getting harder to leave. But how did we get here? Journalist and tech activist Cory Doctorow joins Brittany to lay out why in his new book, Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It.Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Love it or hate it, your favorite pop star is a person and a product. How much are you willing to pay?Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, smashed records for first week album sales. This was in part due to all the different limited-edition variants that went on sale; some for only 24 hours. Talk about pressuring your fans! Is this business strategy fan service, or fan exploitation? Where’s the line? Brittany sits down with Stephen Thompson, host for NPR Music and Pop Culture Happy Hour, and Ann Powers, NPR music critic and correspondent, to get into the life of a business woman, why they think Swift had to make this album, and whether or not it's worth the cost.Read Ann's (mostly positive) review of The Life of a Showgirl.(0:00) Is Taylor exploiting her fans? Yes and No!(3:08) Taylor's business strategy isn't hers alone...(6:11) Why Taylor is a proxy for all our rage(10:43) Why vinyl sales in general have skyrocketed(13:46) How the charts impact the music industry (15:50) Why Taylor Swift HAD to make 'The Life of a Showgirl'(18:15) Does greed make bad art?(21:00) Responding to your comments :)Follow Brittany Luse on Instagram: @bmluseFor handpicked podcast recommendations every week, subscribe to NPR’s Pod Club newsletter at npr.org/podclub.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy