Why Taste Is the New Currency
We're leaving behind mass production — and entering the era of curation, coherence, and soul.
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We've reached the saturation point of an economy built on more, faster, and cheaper.
Digital feeds overflow with indistinguishable content, online marketplaces burst with nearly identical products, and creator burnout has become epidemic in the race to keep up.
But beneath this exhausting cycle, there’s a very different economy emerging – one built on discernment rather than volume and on thoughtful creation rather than algorithmic reaction.
And this shift isn't just about aesthetics… it's about recognizing that in a world where everything can be replicated, your taste and thought patterns become your most valuable assets.
This transformation isn't merely theoretical — it's already reshaping creative industries and entrepreneurship at every level.
For creators, the implications are profound. Those who continue pursuing audience size at the expense of audience connection find themselves trapped in an exhausting cycle of diminishing returns.
Meanwhile, those who develop distinct thought patterns and refined taste are building something more valuable… the ability to create worlds that others want to inhabit rather than just content others want to consume.
Taste development has become your most critical assets in an age where technical skills are increasingly commoditized and distribution is increasingly democratized.
The question isn't whether you can reach people — it's whether what you offer is worth reaching for.
The Bankruptcy of Hyper-Consumerism
The old economic model promised growth through endless consumption, convincing us that more is always better.
But this approach has left us drowning in options while starving for meaning.
Digital shelves overflow with products designed to be replaced rather than treasured, while content feeds become increasingly frantic in their bid for fleeting attention.
This system hasn't just depleted our natural resources; it's depleted our creative resources, our attention, and our ability to discern value beyond metrics and algorithms. The cracks in this foundation are becoming impossible to ignore.
What's fascinating is how this played out in the creator economy. Remember when we were told to "post every day" and "never miss a trend"?
Yeah! I most definitely do.
I watched brilliant minds reduce themselves to reaction machines, churning out content that performed well but meant little — even to them.
The rush to capitalize on fleeting attention created a strange paradox…
— more content, less connection
— more products, less satisfaction
— more options, less decisiveness
Why?
Because when everything is designed to be consumed and discarded, nothing feels substantial enough to truly matter. This isn't just philosophical — it's practical.
The algorithms reward frequency while human souls crave depth. And while the platforms prospered, creators found themselves exhausted, replaceable, and strangely disconnected from the very work that once energized them.
No wonder so many are now questioning whether this hamster wheel was ever designed to lead anywhere meaningful.
But I assure you, it is… a shift that's returning power to creators who think differently and create with intention rather than just reaction.
And at its center lies something both ancient and revolutionary — the cultivation of taste.
Taste as the New Currency
In the emerging economy, taste – the ability to recognize quality, meaning, and coherence that others miss – becomes an irreplaceable asset.
Unlike technical skills that can be automated or content that can be replicated, taste is uniquely human and develops through lived experience and thoughtful curation.
It can't be bought, rushed, or faked.
Those with developed taste naturally attract like-minded communities seeking depth in a shallow marketplace.
This creates an intrinsic economic advantage that can't be easily copied or commoditized.
This taste-based approach manifests in several key practices that stand in direct opposition to hyper-consumerism:
Thoughtful Minimalism: Not an absence of things, but the presence of only what matters. It's recognizing that constraints often produce our most meaningful creations, whether in a product design, a piece of writing, or a business model.
Quality as Revolutionary Act: In a world drowning in mediocrity, exceptional quality becomes an act of rebellion. The details others consider unnecessary become your signature, creating work that demands to be experienced rather than merely consumed.
Community Over Consumption: Transforming passive consumers into active community members who share values rather than just purchasing habits, creating relationships instead of just transactions.
The Asset Mindset: Viewing your creative work as appreciating assets rather than disposable content – each piece building upon the last to create an interconnected body of work that compounds in value over time.
Limited by Design: Understanding that strategic limitation – of products, availability, or creative output – creates both economic and creative advantages, turning releases into events rather than inventory.
Each of these elements represents a shift from creating based on algorithms to creating based on discernment, from chasing attention to cultivating appreciation.
Together, they form the foundation of an economy where taste – not just technical skill or production capacity – becomes the most valuable currency.
Stepping Into the Taste-Based Era
This isn't a passive trend — it's an invitation.
An invitation to slow down, refine your inputs, and honor what truly resonates.
To become a curator of your own experience, rather than a consumer of someone else's algorithm.
To build not for virality but for longevity — for the few who deeply connect, rather than the many who briefly scroll.
In this era, success won’t be measured by volume, but by the clarity of your signal.
The good news? Taste is cultivated.
It’s available to anyone willing to listen longer, look closer, and trust their creative intuition.
And it’s through this lens that we begin to reclaim our creative sovereignty and reimagine what meaningful success actually looks like.
The Future is Intentional…
We're not heading into a future of less. We’re heading into a future of better — better alignment, better resonance, and better creations that mean something.
The era of hyper-consumption is collapsing under its own weight, and what's emerging in its place is far more generative.
A world where your unique perspective, refined taste, and soul-led creation aren't just valuable — they're essential.
This is your edge.
Not how often you post, but how deeply your work resonates.
Not how much you produce, but how timeless your contributions feel.
Not how many follow you, but how many are moved by what you make.
The new economy doesn’t demand that you do more.
It asks that you be more you — clear, intentional, and unshakably discerning.
And in that clarity, your work becomes undeniable.
Have a great week!
Matt
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In the meantime, tell your friends!
"The question isn't whether you can reach people — it's whether what you offer is worth reaching for" is such a good thought. I really appreciate these thoughts! Thanks for sharing!
This is the sentiment I am building my Substack on. A writing / publishing cadence that works for me, not the algorithm. Sharing what’s on my mind or resonating with me, not hopping on every trend just to say I did. Thank you for articulating what so many of us are feeling!