Better to be new than true? Welcome to the era of ‘take-ism’

I’ve recently come up with the term “take-ism” to describe what I consider to be one of the most pernicious and destructive social phenomena of our era.

We all know the term “hot take.” Basically, it’s an idea that’s provocative, strident, and also — and this is key — a bit new. It’s the opposite of a cold take, which is essentially common knowledge.

Is it the overexposure to infinite faces and places that our phones enable that creates this desperate need for novelty, even at the expense of our sanity?

A hot take is often offensive to someone out there, but that’s just a byproduct. What it really needs to offer is novelty.

Race to novelty

Take-ism is essentially a race to novelty above all and at all