The Online Marketplace of Ideas
About this episode
This episode explores the chaotic digital landscape of Internet culture and the rise of alt-media over traditional publications.
➡️ follow NEW MODELS The Online Marketplace of Ideas (2026) is an expansive survey of the present and recent history of Internet culture. Today, alt-media has become quantitatively larger than legacy publications. As a result, any consensus or “mainstream” has fragmented into a chaotic digital landscape. The cultural and political fringe is now co-mingled with the establishment. Challengers have become incumbents and vice versa. Within the exhibition, each carefully selected item has been purchased online and is shown without the knowledge of its creator or author. Contributors range from canonized artists to podcasters, influencers, bloggers, memers, musicians, and even politicians; each represents an accidental avant-garde for 21st century media. Created by Joshua Citarella & NEW MODELS (Caroline Busta & Lil Internet) with architectural design by sub , The Online Marketplace of Ideas brings together traces of the digital layer into the physical world. The installation includes more than 400 pieces of creator merch (t-shirts, hats, and other drop-ship basics), printed matter (books, journals, zines), and ephemera (nicotine pouches, Modafinil blister packs, mewing gum…
People in this episode
Host: Joshua Citarella
Topics covered
- Internet culture
- alt-media
- digital landscape
- cultural fringe
- 21st century media
- creator economy
Keywords
- online marketplace
- digital culture
- media fragmentation
- creator merch
- accidental avant-garde
- cultural commentary
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: NEW MODELS
Books & works: A Call Her Daddy baby doll tee, MAGA Doctrine, Fanged Noumena, Abundance
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