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Description
An open-hearted interrogation of our digital selves, braiding cultural criticism, memoir, and narrative musings into an exploration of identity, girlhood, media, tech, nature and "finding the depth and beauty in the fucked-up world we live in" (Phoebe Bridgers) from writer, artist, and conflicted influencer Aiden Arata.
If you told Aiden Arata in 1995 that the internet would one day crown her the “meme queen of depression” and mega corporations would fly her to conferences to speak about commodifying one's emotions for views, she would have asked you what a meme was. Now, in her highly anticipated debut, she brings us raw reportage from that liminal space between online and offline worlds, illuminating how we got here and where to go next.
In this collection of kaleidoscopic essays, Aiden artfully explores what it means to exist on the internet, from fan fic forums to TikTok. She exposes influencer grifts from the perspective of a grifter, digs into the alluring aesthetic numbness of stay-at-home girlfriend content creators, and interrogates our online fetishization of doom to grapple with the real-world apocalypse. In her own words, “In some ways, the internet feels like a neutral energy in the way that money is a neutral energy, only as virtuous or wicked as the person using it. But then you have to follow that line of inquiry somewhere annoying like, Am I using it for good?”
YOU HAVE A NEW MEMORY is a deeply human inventory of the digital sphere, a searing analysis of the present and a prescient assessment of the future. Aiden is the wry, unexpected voice we need to navigate existing simultaneously as creators, consumers, and products in our increasingly braver and newer world.
If you told Aiden Arata in 1995 that the internet would one day crown her the “meme queen of depression” and mega corporations would fly her to conferences to speak about commodifying one's emotions for views, she would have asked you what a meme was. Now, in her highly anticipated debut, she brings us raw reportage from that liminal space between online and offline worlds, illuminating how we got here and where to go next.
In this collection of kaleidoscopic essays, Aiden artfully explores what it means to exist on the internet, from fan fic forums to TikTok. She exposes influencer grifts from the perspective of a grifter, digs into the alluring aesthetic numbness of stay-at-home girlfriend content creators, and interrogates our online fetishization of doom to grapple with the real-world apocalypse. In her own words, “In some ways, the internet feels like a neutral energy in the way that money is a neutral energy, only as virtuous or wicked as the person using it. But then you have to follow that line of inquiry somewhere annoying like, Am I using it for good?”
YOU HAVE A NEW MEMORY is a deeply human inventory of the digital sphere, a searing analysis of the present and a prescient assessment of the future. Aiden is the wry, unexpected voice we need to navigate existing simultaneously as creators, consumers, and products in our increasingly braver and newer world.
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Praise
"If, like me, you have trouble metabolizing the present, and you want your media to transport you out of reality, this book will heal you. It will horrify you, comfort you, and fill your bleak future with hope. Aiden’s writing is proof that being smart and sincere doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. Her superpower is being a critic without judgement; somehow finding the depth and beauty in the world we must live in."
—Phoebe Bridgers, singer-songwriter
“Aiden Arata’s You Have a New Memory is a kaleidoscopic portrait of growing up gripped in the fist of the internet age. These essays are tender, curious, and shamelessly smart. Arata understands the painful ache of wanting to be seen–and the price we pay for getting the very thing that we want.”
—Isle McElroy, author of People Collide
"In You Have a New Memory Aiden Arata reports directly from the source, as a living, breathing participant in the creator/consumer samsara, where the stakes have never been higher. Delivered in her signature undulating prose, she knits microscopic observations with the shock of humor, violence and unexpected pathos, resulting in a vivid, hyperreal effect; the kind often reported in psychedelic use where the world is rearranged and seen anew."
—Nada Alic, author of New York Times Editors' Choice Pick Bad Thoughts
“The great charm ofYou Have a New Memory rests in how it coordinates human affairs on galactic scale and geological time. The result feels something like beholding a full moon through a freshly sucked gummy bear, or reading a tweet from the Pope, an uncanny double exposure of registers. Aiden Arata is a high priestess in the temple of context, huffing ceremonial fumes and divining insights from the guts of modern life. And it's funny too!”
—Tony Tulathimutte, award-winning author of Rejection
—Tony Tulathimutte, award-winning author of Rejection
“Such an addictive and mesmerizing book. Reading You Have a New Memory felt like being at one of those slumber parties I always wished I was invited to. The essays are dishy in the best way, from behind-the-scenes glimpses of influencer life to a cancellation unfolding in real time. But the true heart of this brave and deeply-observed book is in its tenderness. Within its pages you will find love in the apocalypse and hope in the doomscroll.”
—Frankie Barnet, author of Mood Swings
—Frankie Barnet, author of Mood Swings
“You Have A New Memory is more than an essay collection about the present moment, culture, or the internet. It is a brilliant interrogation of humanity. Each essay will teach you something new about the world while ripping your heart from your chest. Aiden Arata is a powerhouse — and one of the best writers we have today.”
—Sarah Rose Etter, award-winning author of Ripe
—Sarah Rose Etter, award-winning author of Ripe
“I devoured these essays—it’s the kind of book where you keep texting people passages because they’re just too good not to share. Reading Arata feels like staying up late with your most perceptive friend, the one who somehow always manages to articulate exactly what you’ve been feeling about the internet, about relationships, about existing and consuming in this pre-apocalyptic world. Her observations are so piercing, yet playful, they will make you laugh, wince, and feel less alone. For anyone who’s ever experienced the quiet thrill of a DM or the hypnotic pull of an endless feed (hello, all of us), this book is a must-read.”
—Alexandra Chang, author of Tomb Sweeping
—Alexandra Chang, author of Tomb Sweeping
“I learned so much from this revealing and inquisitive collection of essays—what it means to be a human on the Internet, the art of self-excavation and authenticity in the land of influencer culture, and the ways the past informs our unknown future. Aiden Arata has offered us a brilliant invocation of intimacy with the world and ourselves. You Have a New Memory is an addictive, heart-opening, and darkly humorous work by a bold new voice.”
—Chelsea Bieker, bestselling author of Madwoman and Godshot
—Chelsea Bieker, bestselling author of Madwoman and Godshot
"Arata’s shimmering debut not only showcases a unique breadth and depth of thought, but also serves as a roadmap for seeking out beauty in a world that always feels like it’s ending."
—Priyanka Mattoo, author of Bird Milk & Mosquito Bones