Erin Carson
erincarson.bsky.social
Erin Carson
@erincarson.bsky.social
Tech reporter. Ex-CNET, TechRepublic.

Always: Interested in how science, tech and the internet change the way we live. Otherwise: Teaching college kids about journalism.
Reposted by Erin Carson
yeah that orange iPhone 17 Pro is nasty
Apple Thinks Orange Is the New Black. It Isn't
Commentary: Apple picked a bold color for the iPhone 17 Pro and it's U-G-L-Y.
www.cnet.com
September 9, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I’ve been having a lot of fun working on my newsletter, Silicon Sea. This month, I wrote about AI slop and figured out what else to say about it other than “I hate it.”

W/ thanks to @pbooth81.bsky.social for the interview!

open.substack.com/pub/silicons...
Can’t stop the slop
AI slop is ruining the casual internet – it’s also warping how we accept reality.
open.substack.com
September 1, 2025 at 10:12 PM
Wrote a piece for my newsletter, Silicon Sea, about all those TikTok videos telling you to RUN to Target. Or Costco. Or wherever. siliconsea.substack.com/p/the-shoppi...
The shopping videos triggering your caveman instincts
Stop telling me to RUN to Costco.
siliconsea.substack.com
March 16, 2025 at 6:16 PM
Two shirts seen at the airport:

“I don’t care. Work harder!”

“I’m trying.”
February 14, 2025 at 1:49 PM
What a fever dream
January 19, 2025 at 6:37 PM
Reposted by Erin Carson
before tiktok,
before bluesky,
before twitter,
before meta,
before it all,
there were sewers.

after all, there will be sewers.
January 19, 2025 at 3:44 AM
Wrote a piece for my newsletter, Silicon Sea, about watching social media turn to ruins. siliconsea.substack.com/p/watching-t...
Watching the Ruins of Social Media
On the eve of the TikTok ban, thoughts on how social media becomes a ghost town.
siliconsea.substack.com
January 19, 2025 at 3:46 AM
First post goes out tomorrow morning!
I was lucky enough to cover the intersection of tech/science/the internet and the way we live our lives for years. There’s so much more to say, so I’m launching a tech culture commentary newsletter. It’s free. Monthly. Intro send slated for the end of the week. siliconsea.substack.com
Silicon Sea | Substack
Tech and culture commentary. Click to read Silicon Sea, a Substack publication.
siliconsea.substack.com
January 10, 2025 at 2:03 AM
I was lucky enough to cover the intersection of tech/science/the internet and the way we live our lives for years. There’s so much more to say, so I’m launching a tech culture commentary newsletter. It’s free. Monthly. Intro send slated for the end of the week. siliconsea.substack.com
Silicon Sea | Substack
Tech and culture commentary. Click to read Silicon Sea, a Substack publication.
siliconsea.substack.com
January 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Genuinely, the best source of weather info in Nashville.
Sunday’s early AM event will fall *as rain*, then freeze on contact. Don’t be tricked thinking it’s “just rain.” An illustration:

☁️ 🛩️
💧
💧
💧
💧
🧊 🌲🏡🎸
January 5, 2025 at 4:29 AM
This was one of my favorite things published on the internet period this year.
Our 3rd most-read article of 2024. (Also, our 1st most-read CAPTCHA of '24):
The Millennial CAPTCHA
Our 3rd most-read article of 2024. - - -
buff.ly
December 31, 2024 at 6:25 PM
The bleeding edge humor of me asking, “Do you take Apple Pay?” at the Apple Store yesterday.
December 27, 2024 at 4:16 PM
Worth the read.
December 26, 2024 at 10:59 PM
There’s a 26-volume, 54-pound copy of the Warren Commission Report on this list, which is McSweeney’s level unhinged and I love it.
A group of Atlantic staff and friends offer 65 eclectic ideas for bringing more merriment, adventure, and wonder to the ones you love.

See more of our 2024 Gift Guide: theatln.tc/E57Ip4qw
December 18, 2024 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Erin Carson
1/ Here’s a story about how journalism works.

Spoiler Alert: This is how we decide *not* to publish.

We were recently looking at Pete Hegseth’s different statements over the years about West Point, where he has said he was admitted.

First stop: West Point.
December 11, 2024 at 6:05 PM
Reposted by Erin Carson
It'll start telling you to put glue on dishes you would never even dream of
December 5, 2024 at 9:43 PM
Contains such blazing AI-driven insight as “yeah, that’s a great track.”
Spotify users wait all year for the annual Wrapped feature that summarizes their year in listening, and 2024’s edition takes the data drop to a new level with an AI-generated personalized podcast.
Spotify Wrapped’s new feature: A personalized AI podcast
The 2024 edition of the app’s year-in-review features Spotify teaming up with Google AI to give users a podcast in which their musical taste is analyzed by bots.
wapo.st
December 4, 2024 at 2:48 PM
The simmering discontent over Spotify Wrapped not being out yet is the only online outrage I can accept.
December 3, 2024 at 2:22 PM
“Our tests found that no publisher—regardless of degree of affiliation with OpenAI—was spared inaccurate representations of its content in ChatGPT.”

www.cjr.org/tow_center/h... via @columjournreview.bsky.social
How ChatGPT Search (Mis)represents Publisher Content
ChatGPT search—which is positioned as a competitor to search engines like Google and Bing—launched with a press release from OpenAI touting claims that the company had “collaborated extensively with t...
www.cjr.org
December 1, 2024 at 2:40 PM
Come back: Blogs
Go away: Poor social skills
In the Atlantic Daily, six writers and editors answer the question: “What’s a trend you wish would come back, and one you wish would go away?”
The Trends Atlantic Writers Love and Hate
Six answers to the question: “What’s a trend you wish would come back, and one you wish would go away?”
www.theatlantic.com
November 29, 2024 at 3:09 PM
“Whether children find ways to get past the restrictions is beside the point, [Prime Minister] Albanese said.”

… is it?
Breaking News: Australia has passed a sweeping ban on social media for children under 16, one of the world’s most comprehensive measures aimed at safeguarding young people from potential hazards online. nyti.ms/3VbiGzc
Australia Bans Social Media for Everyone Under 16
The law sets a minimum age for users of platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X. How the restriction will be enforced online remains an open question.
nyti.ms
November 28, 2024 at 2:22 PM
Reposted by Erin Carson
Books We Love returns with 350+ new titles handpicked by NPR staff and trusted critics. Find 12 years of recommendations all in one place — that's nearly 4,000 great reads.
Books We Love
Here are 350+ great reads from 2024 hand-picked just for you by NPR staff and trusted critics.
apps.npr.org
November 25, 2024 at 3:43 PM
After almost entirely dipping out of the *other place* in Nov. ‘22, I think I’ve forgotten how to do this.
November 21, 2024 at 1:56 AM