Severin Matusek

Looking at memes from the outside, we see an ever-evolving meta-language dynamic hypercontextual structure, but at its core, it simply operates on a single energy source: empathy.

Over the past 13 years, Swift has perfected the pop culture feedback loop: Sheshares updates about her life and drops hints about new music, which fans thengobble up and re-promote with their own theories, which Swift then re-shares on herTumblr or incorporates into future clues. [...] "I've trained them to be that way," shesays of her fans' astute... See more

Writing, more visibly and unquestionably today than ever, is inherently networked. It begins and remains connected to its subject, and to everything else, becoming part of it. It acts. It does work. It lives. When we write, we reconfigure the world.

Our information system has split into an endless number of micro communities, from group chats to online fandoms, all learning about news and major events through increasingly bizarre digital formats.

When I polled a group of friends, one person heard the news in the comment section of a bird's Instagram account, another learned of it in a Discord ... See more

oft clubbing speaks to the shift in our social needs in a post-pandemic world, the very same needs that have led to a rise in run clubs and hobby clubs such as chess and bowling. Previously the club was an adequate provider of your weekly dose of social interaction, a space to dance, socialise and, for many, get intoxicated too. However, for a gene... See more

At the same time, we are often told these systems are impossible to fully comprehend and are far beyond our control.

In my new book, I came up with the word “Filterworld” to describe our interwoven environment of algorithms. These equations have become inescapable, influencing the vast majority of what we consume online — and thus what kinds of culture we consume, period. I use “filter” because algorithmic recommendations are ultimately filters that sort content.... See more

Scarcity and authenticity are powerful, and not always forces for good. Our instinctual craving for scarce sugar and fat has produced an obesity crisis, but we aren’t going to throw out the industrial food system and live off the land. Amidst the scams and bubbles, credible scarcity and authenticity will unlock real value in digital markets.