Justin Kownacki

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Armchair Sociology

Q&A Interview with Frank Rose, Author of “The Art of Immersion”

From the audience’s impact on the making of LOST to the eerie web promotions for The Dark Knight Returns, our media is becoming more immersive by the day. WIRED contributing editor Frank Rose noticed this trend and embarked on a years-long voyage to connect the digital dots.  His goal was Read more…

By Justin, 14 yearsSeptember 2, 2011 ago
Storytelling

Harry Potter’s Surprise Ending

The way the series ends is a crucial aspect of its theme.

By Justin, 14 yearsAugust 1, 2011 ago
Jon Hamm as Don Draper on AMC's TV series Mad Men
Armchair Sociology

What the Existence of Don Draper and Katy Perry Really Says About You

Why we need to stop living vicariously through our pop culture heroes and start living our own lives like we mean it.

By Justin, 14 yearsJune 16, 2011 ago
Armchair Sociology

How to Live Your Life in a No-Bullshit Zone

NOTE: I wrote this years ago, but I took it down when I last redesigned my blog. Then a reader told me that this post helped her a lot over the years, and she asked me if I would consider reposting it. So, after a few small updates, I did. Read more…

By Justin, 14 yearsMay 9, 2011 ago
Armchair Sociology

8 Ways to Lead a More Interesting Life

Facebook is making us boring. Our perpetual digital connectivity has warped our minds into believing that others are hanging on our every word… even when those words are all about our allergies, our retail woes, our opinions about pop culture, politics, and other inanities. In other words, the very stories Read more…

By Justin, 15 yearsApril 13, 2011 ago
Armchair Sociology

10 Questions You Should Ask Yourself More Often

Life is short. We’re busy. Things happen. And then we die. In the meantime, here are 10 questions you should ask yourself more often, so you don’t end up running in place between now and then. What did the 18 year-old me think the current me would be doing? What Read more…

By Justin, 15 yearsOctober 11, 2010 ago
Social Media

What I’ve Learned From Blogging Weekly Instead of Daily

A few months ago, I decided to try an experiment with this blog.  From May through July, instead of posting daily, I would only post once per week.  That way, rather than scrambling to say something relevant 5 times a week, I could invest my time in one good, solid Read more…

By Justin, 15 yearsAugust 9, 2010 ago
Social Media

What I Learned by Reading Everything

Last week, Ian M. Rountree and I started Read It All Week, a challenge to read everything we were subscribed to — especially all the blogs we so easily subscribe to, but never actually absorb.  We did this for two reasons: To reconsider why we subscribe to certain kinds of Read more…

By Justin, 15 yearsJuly 26, 2010 ago
Armchair Sociology

3 Myths About Social Media Debunked

On Sunday nights, Mack Collier runs a Twitter-based group chat called #blogchat, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about blogging while hobnobbing with their peers. But, based on the defensive reaction to some of my comments from several of the #blogchat participants, I’ve realized that Read more…

By Justin, 15 yearsJuly 19, 2010 ago
Armchair Sociology

The Popularity Paradox: Why Do We Hate Pop Culture?

I don’t know anybody who loves pop radio. I know people who listen to it ironically, as though they’re not comfortable admitting they don’t entirely hate Lady Gaga.  And I know people who admit to liking just Lady Gaga, or just Usher, but still insist they “hate the radio.” But Read more…

By Justin, 15 yearsJune 21, 2010 ago

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Popular Posts

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