networked worlds

Systems Ultra goes beyond narratives of technological exceptionalism to explore how we experience the complex systems which influence our lives, how to understand them more clearly, and, perhaps, how to change them.

What if an economic diagram can treat economic units as permeable membranes instead of enclosed boxes? What if it portrays the economy as a more interdependent, rhizomatic web of connections? What if a line can be used not as a border, but more as an entanglement like that of a cat playing with yarns?

Unfortunately, advertising has been ingrained into the internet as the basic model for so long and to such an extent that it’s hard to envision online life without the systematic manipulation of attention and all its evils. So we’re bound to wind up here, at the bitter end of “content.” Which is a good excuse to withdraw deeper into books, movies,... See more

Web3's potential lies in its ability to work with and for culture. In this way, we must enable our products to both shape and be shaped by our collective narratives, values, and dreams. For web3 to achieve widespread adoption, it must transcend its role as a mere technological innovation and become entirely entwined with the development of culture.

But what if there is no underlying logic? Or, more to the point, what if the logic shifts based on the platform's priorities? If you go down to the midway at your county fair, you'll spot some poor sucker walking around all day with a giant teddy bear that they won by throwing three balls in a peach basket.

As awful as all this is, the workarounds themselves are often delightful and clever, testaments to the wit and grace of marginalized communities. For example, sex-workers call themselves "accountants." Homophobia is called "cornucopia" and "LGBTQ" becomes "Leg Booty."

This creativity isn't limited to people I admire or agree with: anti-vaxers have a... See more