Was There Life Before The Group Chat?
One particular regroup has members reconsidering the need for any other social tool.
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There’s a cultural hub in my pocket, and it lives inside my iMessage.
ADCE 2: Horny Is OK is an amorphous structure consisting of thirty-two semi-permanent members, a pliable network of personalities and resources, and a constant stream of information resembling a text-based For You Page, in other words, it’s a group chat. Formed in September 2022, during New York Fashion Week, back when it was just Average Danny Cole Enjoyer (ADCE), this particular group chat became a guide, a how-to-navigate-your-own-city pamphlet, the most chaotic brochure you’ve ever read, and everyone was addicted as we struggled from party to party.
Nearly a year and one chat-bombing later (scorned lovers exist in group chats, too), it has transformed from fleeting digital real estate into a place-that-feels-like-home, from a group chat to a collective “we.” In a precious, bordered place, thirty-two of the most contemporary minds in culture gather daily to cheer, share, laugh, like, or sometimes, just read.
Members include Curtis Pawley (of The Ion Pack), Shyan Zakari (of Shy’s Burgers), Harmony Tividad (our favorite pop star), A.L. Bahta (of Quiet Luke), Zach Sokol (downtown’s media man), Adam Faze (studio chief, producer extraordinaire), Blake The Man 1000 (not to be confused with Blake The Man 999), Mark Hunter (of The Cobra Snake), Alex Hartman (aka Nolita Dirtbag), Tyler Bainbridge (founder of Perfectly Imperfect), Danny Cole (of Creature World and of whom we are all enjoyers), Martiza Yoes (producer and consultant), Jeremy (hot, annoying music producer), Clare Gillen (creative director), Tristan Depew (of Raimundo Langlois), Claire Banse (co-founder of The Drunken Canal and creative strategist), Alex Braunstein (film auteur and self-described autist), Meetka Otto (writer and the queen of Dimes), Luke Haeger (artist), Trevor McFedries (DJ), Kate Weimer (UI/UX maestro), Anibal Luque (ultimate lawyer/dj combo), Hamzat Raheem (artist and sculptor), Harrison Patrick Smith (of The Dare), Nate Kuo (renown entertainment lawyer), Zack Bia (yes, the Zack Bia), Alex Zhang (mayor of FWB), One member who declined to be named, Mikey Del Campo (suit-wearing, grill-branding stud), Anna Delvey (our favorite socialite, and also the only person in the group chat on house arrest), Julian Ribeiro (social media editor at Interview Mag), and Scott Jawson (a new addition in the 32nd slot, and a PR firm owner who will hopefully be getting us more press beyond this biased write up).
Occasionally, a member will bid adieu, and the 32nd spot will be frantically filled through a democratic voting process for the most absurd or exciting addition. The likes of Chet Hanks, Matt Ox, and maybe even Hunter Biden, allegedly, have flashed through my iMessage.
In a parallel universe, perhaps ADCE 2 could exist with a different group of people, but in this universe, it can’t. The safety and comfort of the group chat override the vastness of other-internet, and combined with members’ willingness to contribute and participate, threatens the need for like-based endorphins. What I’m saying is, on good days in the chat, one might forget to even check the ‘gram.
Sometimes I wonder if there was even life in my phone before ADCE 2. What was I looking at, if not Clare’s poetic musings, Harmony’s coastal jaunts, Zach and Tyler’s music circulation, Claire’s tooth saga, Julian’s fit pics, and Meetka’s anti-weed professions? How did I ever find a stylist, a venue, or a web developer without it?
If God created Man, whatever Alex Braunstein made might be the second most powerful thing I know.
Existing as a nerve center within the pocket of each member, ADCE 2 is a new kind of community that regenerates over and over as thirty-two compelling point-of-views are engulfed in a nebulous, blue force.
Below, an interview I tried to conduct with my fellow compatriots, but it turns out that getting 32 people to chime in at the same time is remarkably difficult.
