Recently, a specific type of desk photo has become popular on Instagram. You are aware of the type: a beautiful study spread, coffee in a ceramic mug, a candle, or a warm lamp that casts amber light over a notebook. However, over the past few months, these flat-lays have undergone a change. There are now little decks of cards tucked in with the annotated syllabi and highlighters. Laminated, illustrated, and somewhat reminiscent of Pokémon cards with bell hooks in place of Pikachu.
Theory trading cards, which are card-sized summaries of academic theorists and their main ideas with printed frameworks and stylized portraits on the back, have subtly infiltrated a very particular area of Gen Z study culture. Additionally, that corner has been photographed, hashtagged, and made public.
There was no press release when the trend first emerged. It appeared gradually, then everywhere, as is the case with most truly organic things. In theory-heavy classes, students who seemed to detest lengthy reading lists have begun to arrive at seminars with little cardstock decks nestled next to their notebooks. The cards are arranged, fanned out, and compared. Foucault was stacked behind Fanon, and Derrida was across from Bourdieu. Even though the study appears to be taking place, there is an almost irreverent quality to it.
It’s difficult to ignore how much this reflects Gen Z’s broader attitudes toward alternative aesthetics and social media. Tarot searches increased by 50% during pandemic lockdowns, indicating that the same generation that subtly revived tarot as a coping mechanism is genuinely drawn to tangible, tactile, card-based formats for processing complex information. It may not be a coincidence. For a generation that grew up with swipeable content, there seems to be a certain weight to holding something in your hands that a PDF just doesn’t have.
The format of theory trading cards is what makes them so fascinating—and a little unsettling to some scholars. Trading cards are designed for debate, ranking, and exchange. At first, it seems almost ridiculous to ask which theorist “wins” in a particular conceptual matchup. However, when they are physically sorting and negotiating the same concepts at a table, students who find it difficult to sit through seventy pages of Discipline and Punish appear to interact differently. The Trading Card Effect, which has been documented by educational researchers, lends credence to the notion that students retain information better when they actively handle and organize it as opposed to passively receiving it. It seems that the brain detects the difference.
But the professors. It becomes difficult at that point. Some are cautiously intrigued, especially those who have seen a discernible decline in students’ ability to read continuously since the pandemic. Teachers at several universities have reported reading texts aloud in class, silently shortening reading lists that were once twice as long, and spending entire semesters going over the same brief passages. Anything that encourages a student to interact with Gramsci in that way, even on a business card-sized card, begins to feel like a small victory.
Some people are truly uncomfortable, and it’s important to take their discomfort seriously. What is lost when complicated, contradictory thinkers are condensed into a card format is a serious question. The notion that meaning defies reduction served as the foundation for Derrida’s entire career. It seems provocative to fit him onto a laminated rectangle. It’s still unclear whether these cards serve as a starting point for more in-depth reading or as a replacement for it, and that distinction is crucial.
Naturally, Instagram doesn’t give a damn about that distinction. Photos from the study continue to receive likes. With an estimated 76% of its social and informational input coming from sites like Instagram, Gen Z has once again managed to transform an instructional activity into something worthy of photography. It’s unclear if this makes the learning more or less real. It’s hard to write this off as a purely artistic performance when you watch it happen. A few of these pupils are familiar with their theory. It appears that the cards are having an effect.
It may reveal more about academia than it does about the cards whether or not it chooses to accept that.
