My Internet: Kaitlin Phillips
The Gift Guide writer doesn’t get anxiety about anything that could be described as “news.”
Embedded is your essential guide to what’s good on the internet, written by Kate Lindsay and edited by Nick Catucci.
Every other week we quiz a “very online” person for their essential guide to what’s good on the internet.
Today we welcome Kaitlin Phillips, a publicist and writer of the newsletter Gift Guide. Kaitlin says a story on Substack can move more units than a piece of traditional press and that gambling is cool, especially when women do it. —Nick
EMBEDDED: Do you tweet? Why?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I don’t! I spent a decade on Twitter, where I met all of my friends and got a lot of writing jobs. Then I stopped meeting people or getting work, so I left. I like to see the use value of a social media platform, and when that fades, I delete it. I’m a very transactional person.
EMBEDDED: Do you post on Bluesky, Threads, or Substack’s Notes? Why?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I occasionally post on Substack Notes, but only to self-promote. I refuse to download Threads. I think I made sure to get my own handle on Bluesky, but that was the extent of my engagement with the platform. I’m too old for quippy one-liners; I’m not hot enough to do video. I stay in my lane.
EMBEDDED: What do you use Instagram for?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I post photos of my husband and our houses. I post my friends’ fireplaces and pools. I post when I’m on vacation or anything that looks like I’m on vacation (the ocean, the English countryside, the covers of books, freshly baked pies).
EMBEDDED: What types of videos do you watch on YouTube?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: My husband shows me YouTube.
EMBEDDED: What do you like about TikTok? What do you dislike?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I don’t have TikTok. But I have respect for BookTok, and the women who influence it.
EMBEDDED: Were you concerned by TikTok remaining under Chinese control? Are you concerned about it coming under the control of President Trump’s allies?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: No. I don’t get anxiety about anything that could be described as “news.” Unless my life is literally altered, I do not react to the world at large.
EMBEDDED: Where do you tend to get your news?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I type in the URLs. I read The New York Post, and pick up the print issue whenever I can. I read The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal and New York magazine. I read most of Condé Nast, and Harper’s. I listen to the radio in my car.
EMBEDDED: How do you keep up with the online discourse? How important is it to you to do this?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I have a group chat with Patrik Sandberg, Alexis Page, and Natasha Stagg that is extremely topical. I mostly listen and learn.
EMBEDDED: What’s a popular misconception that you see repeated online?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: About me? “Kaitlin Phillips trust fund” has been my highest google result for ages. I do not have a trust fund.
EMBEDDED: What are your favorite newsletters?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I have a 100% open rate for Emily Sundberg, Rachel Karten, Casey Lewis, John Ganz, Max Read, Semafor (for Max Tani), Lauren Sherman, Natasha Stagg, Jess Graves, and Tish Weinstock ("I'm sick, *coughs*"). For everyone else, my open rate is sporadic.
EMBEDDED: How do you think Substack has changed media, if at all?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: A story on Substack is as important as a story on a legacy media site. In many cases, it can move more units than a piece of traditional press. So I think on the selling side, it’s revolutionary.
It’s changed media because it’s given reporters the opportunity to leave media. There’s money on the table right now.
EMBEDDED: What’s one positive media trend? What’s one negative trend?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: Everyone knows this, but the lack of investment in long-lead and foreign reporting is ruining long-form journalism. Soon we won’t remember what that was.
EMBEDDED: Do you have a take on the “manosphere”? Do you think personalities like Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, and Theo Von have shaped young men’s political leanings?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I liked that Harper’s piece on gooning. Freaky!
EMBEDDED: Do you have any advice for people who use sports betting apps or prediction markets?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: Gambling is cool. Especially when women do it.
EMBEDDED: Is the AI bubble about to burst?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: Yes. But not before it takes a lot of jobs.
EMBEDDED: Do you believe that the “artificial general intelligence” and “superintelligence” that many AI boosters have warned of actually pose a risk to humanity?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: No. I like to use AI to turn excel sheets into e-mail summaries. It also helps me fix certain issues with my thermostat. Harmless stuff. I know it’s bad for the environment, but, unlike most people, I have an electric vehicle, so I am doing my part.
EMBEDDED: Are smartphones bad for us? Where do you fall on the Jonathan Haidt-Taylor Lorenz divide?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I think they’re bad for children and teens. I don’t think you should be allowed to have a cell phone or laptop or TV until you’re in college. (I didn’t get any of these things until I was 18.)
EMBEDDED: Do you try to limit your phone use? If so, what methods have been helpful for this?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: No. I use my phone for work.
EMBEDDED: What’s something that you have observed about the online behavior of Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and/or Boomers?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I like how opaque Gen Z can be on social media. Millennials are so literal (here’s how much money I have). It’s crass. I try not to give Gen X my attention, they’re so crazy. Boomers are the dumbest people alive.
EMBEDDED: How do you find recommendations for what to watch, read, and listen to?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: My friends text me. I don’t really believe anything that is published. There’s always something you can’t say. Or something you have to say.
EMBEDDED: Have you had posts go viral? What is that experience like?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: No. I’m a civilian.
EMBEDDED: Who’s the coolest person who follows you?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I like when people with high-paying corporate jobs follow my Substack. I’m not very flattered by people in media following me. It’s nice, but they’re not cool, and neither am I.
EMBEDDED: Who’s someone more people should follow?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: Miranda Keyes. She makes champagne glasses and chandeliers.
EMBEDDED: Which big celebrity has your favorite internet presence, and why?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I enjoyed charli xcx’s recent posts on Substack. I saw people making fun of her, but I disagreed with it. Being famous is insane, and anyone who can step back and think about it is in a better place than the people who can’t.
EMBEDDED: Are you into any podcasts right now? How and when do you usually listen?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I listen to TrueAnon. My husband puts it on when he’s cooking.
EMBEDDED: Have you ever been heavily into Snapchat? Do you miss it?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I never used Snapchat.
EMBEDDED: When was the last time you browsed Pinterest? What for?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I never used Pinterest.
EMBEDDED: How would you describe Tumblr’s legacy?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: It made a lot of hot girls famous for doing nothing, which is a trend I never had a problem with.
EMBEDDED: Are you in any groups on Reddit, Discord, Slack, or Facebook? What’s the most useful or entertaining one?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I am on Reddit in a real way. Unfortunately, I can’t share my favorite groups. It would be far too revealing about what I’m actually thinking about.
EMBEDDED: Do you use Slack or Teams for work? What’s the best thing about Slacking with your co-workers? What’s the worst thing?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: When I had a corporate job, I used Slack. I was all for it. I loved bothering people at work. Ping, ping, ping.
EMBEDDED: What is your Wordle starting word?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I don’t play games on my phone.
EMBEDDED: Do any of your group chats have a name that you’re willing to share? What’s something that recently inspired debate in the chat?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: My main group chat is called “Gifted and Talented,” and the people in it are listed above. I’m in a group chat called “Kaitlin’s Nieces and Nephews,” which is with my entire family. (I’m childless, but they are not.) I’m in a group chat called “Beautiful Neighbors” with my neighbors, a gay couple in Connecticut.
EMBEDDED: What’s your go-to emoji, and what does it mean to you?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I have stickers of my nieces and nephews that I use in my family group chat.
EMBEDDED: Do you text people voice notes? If not, how do you feel about getting them?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: The Hollywood people send voice notes. They’re paranoid. I get it.
EMBEDDED: Do you pay for a music streaming service, and if so, which one? What’s a playlist, song, album, or style of music you’ve listened to a lot lately?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I pay for Spotify, but I don’t use it enough to justify the expense.
EMBEDDED: If you could only keep one streaming service for TV and/or movies, which would it be, and why? What’s a show that you’re really into right now?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: A lot of my friends from LA are complaining about it, but I love I love LA. If you’ve ever worked a low-level job in the culture industry while being best friends with nepo babies, it’s a cathartic experience to watch it. But maybe that’s just me.
EMBEDDED: What’s your favorite non-social media app?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: Find My Friends. I like to see where they are. Also TrainTime, the app for Metro North. It’s way better than it needs to be.
EMBEDDED: What’s the most basic internet thing that you love?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I love close friends on Instagram. I have 30 people on it right now. But sometimes I’ll have 200 media friends. I go through phases of producing niche content for small audiences. It feels experimental.
EMBEDDED: Do you regularly use eBay, Depop, or other shopping platforms? What’s a recent thing you’ve bought or sold?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I use eBay from time to time. I tried to buy some felt Christmas tree garlands, but they were cheaper brand new. This week, my husband bought an obscure board game. He does that a lot.
EMBEDDED: Is there a site you like for product recommendations? How do you decide, for example, which air filter to buy?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: I would ask Amanda Fortini about air filters. Like I would just text her. She’s a reporter who knows about health stuff.
EMBEDDED: What’s the last thing that brought you joy online?
KAITLIN PHILLIPS: This Harper’s article on a tree.
Thanks Kaitlin! Subscribe to Gift Guide.
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I am glad Kaitlin Phillips is on my internet
Kaitlin Phillips is authentic and real and so dry. I find her hilarious and she’s not even trying to be funny. I want to take her to lunch in Paris and just listen to her talk while we drink pét-nat together. Thanks for this interview.