Derek Thompson
Senior Editor, The Atlantic
Derek Thompson is a senior editor at The Atlantic magazine, where he writes about economics and the media. He is a regular contributor to NPR's Here and Now and appears frequently on television, including CBS and MSNBC. He was named to both Inc. magazine's and Forbes's 30 Under 30 lists. He lives in New York City.
There’s a reason you can’t stop you head boppin’ to block-rockin’ beats, and why you can’t get a song’s hook out of your head.
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5 min
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The scandalous history of the Billboard Hot 100 is the perfect analogy for how Donald Trump’s popularity broke the rigid power structure of American politics.
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4 min
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Is coolness wearing a leather jacket and slicking your hair back? Or is it “a measured rebellion” within established boundaries? One big thinker tells us that being “cool” is sort of like a cult, at least from a sociological standpoint.
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4 min
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History is littered with thousands of things that tried to appeal to everyone and yet failed miserably. If you want true success, try to appeal to a core group.
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4 min
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Here’s why your brain’s biases are a win for fake news, and a pay day for Facebook.
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9 min
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So, how do you make something popular? Simple! You just update something old. This applies to storytelling, design, and even tech gadgets.
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7 min
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