The Illus Caden

Illuminating the cracks in the machine

Vinted Proudly Cashing in on Late Stage Capitalism in 2026

There is a growing list of symptoms of late stage capitalism in the western world, and the latest I’ve come across is the platform Vinted.

Chad Lewine October 14, 2026 5 min read

Pinholes

The Illus Caden @illuscaden

The Illus Caden @illuscaden Oct 27

Whatnot is the premium, high-end sister platform of Vinted. The commodification, social mediazation, monetization infomercial-esque consumerism via staring, scrolling and swiping. If Vinted is passing junk around, what Whatnot is the latest iteration of putting consumerism on a pedestal and gamifying materialism.

The Illus Caden @illuscaden Oct 23

Is the new series "The Greatest" how tall tales are made? Think about Paul Bunyan. Based on a real kind of person, embellished by media. In 100 years, what's stopping the Muhammad Ali story from falling victim to Hollywood's embellishment? All the biopics, the Whitney slot machines—is this not how legends begin? The question is, who do we want controlling the stories we collectively share and re-tell?

The Illus Caden @illuscaden Oct 22

If lyrics weren't that important, why did Charmin pay whatever amount for the right to re-word and re-record "Low Rider" as their "wider sheets, clean a little better" commercial ditty?

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Industry Watchdog

The Complex Addiction Mobile Games Have Become and Their Profiteers

I played Hole Stars for a few weeks, then for two days straight. I still couldn’t earn the damn coat from the Dreamy Closet.

October 3, 2026 15 min read

Commentary

Someday Has Begun, Pt. 1 – A Critical Look

Someday Has Begun, Pt. 1 is a sterile imitation of We Are The World, full of vague platitudes with an odd arrangement over a cheap and bland, yet somehow overproduced musical production.

September 16, 2026 11 min read