In this episode of Uncommon Naledge, Dr. Jabari Evans is joined by Dr. Zari A. Taylor, critical cultural studies scholar and Assistant Professor at NYU, whose work explores how race, beauty, celebrity culture, and the creator economy intersect in digital and popular culture. Dr. Taylor, a core member of the Content Creator Scholar Network (CCSN) and Global Member of the TikTok Cultures Research Network, brings an incisive lens to how marginalized communities both shape and are shaped by the evolving dynamics of media and identity.

Dr. Taylor unpacks themes from her published work in Social Media + Society, Information, Communication & Society, and the International Journal of Communication—and offers reflections on how power and aesthetics operate within the influencer space, particularly for Black women and femmes online.

Together, they discuss the politics of beauty algorithms, the labor of digital visibility, and the risks and rewards of scholarly engagement in public-facing platforms. It’s a wide-ranging and timely conversation about digital culture’s most pressing questions.

Uncommon Naledge is hosted by Dr. Jabari Evans and edited and produced by Phillip Schlies.

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Original music for introduction and outro produced by Michael "Double 0" Aguilar.

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