Algo-astrology apps deliver criticism and sarcasm rather than comfort or validation.
Evidence
Unlike psychotherapy, self-help guides, and counseling, however, astrology apps do not provide a space where criticism or judgment are suspended. Rather, they are strewn with sarcasm and covert criticism. At the same time, Co-Star’s low-resolution imagery blends nostalgia for the “early internet” age with zine culture and depictions of wild animals, tropical fruits, three-dimensional shapes, and unspecified machinery. Upon downloading the app, such icons are automatically embedded in the user’s smartphone, added to their list of emojis, ready to adorn their regular messaging exchanges. — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities, 320
Categorization
- XREF: Contrasts with my ‘Immodesty’ article’s moral-panic frame: here a modern occult practice thrives precisely by withholding comfort, not by promising certainty. — connects to: Astrology apps weaponize sarcasm where therapy suspends judgment. — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities: Living With…, 204; Astrology columns presuppose and exploit their readers’ ego weakness and social powerlessness — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1957
- QUESTION: What makes sarcasm-and-criticism an appealing service for Gen Z users? Is it a bid for perceived authenticity in a commodified self-care market?
Broader Connections
- Astrology apps weaponize sarcasm where therapy suspends judgment.
#corroborates(0.90) — Aris Komporozos-Athanasiou, Speculative Communities, 204 - Astrology columns presuppose and exploit their readers’ ego weakness and social powerlessness
#expands(0.75) — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School, 1957