In the second episode of our new culture podcast, Dazed and Discoursed, hosts Halima Jibril and Elliot Hoste are joined by Laura Pitcher, senior writer at Dazed US, to discuss her article, “The rise of the ‘manifinsta’: how social media became a manifestation tool” Pitcher examines the “manifinsta” phenomenon, where young people create social media accounts dedicated solely to manifesting jobs, relationships, and a better life. Astrology and wellness culture have become pervasive over recent years — in the music of artists like Ariana Grande, SZA, and Steve Lacy and in shows and films such as Tarot (2024) and The Curse (2023). Now, these influences saturate our social media feeds, shaping how we engage online. But should we really be curating our feeds to “level up” our lives? And what might we lose in our constant drive to control outcomes rather than simply leaving things to chance?

You can listen to episode two of Dazed and Discoursed above. It’s also available on Acast, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.