- Episode AI notes
- Metalabel organization promotes collaborative creativity for artistic empowerment, encouraging artists to collaborate and release work together.
- Shifting from individual creator to collaborative label mindset can empower artists to work together and move on to new projects.
- Collaborative creative production in the online economy is evolving, with a focus on breaking down barriers between creators and audiences for more collaborative work.
- Labels play a significant role in shaping culture and can challenge conventional systems by highlighting the manipulative nature of capitalism.
- Quality over quantity in content creation is crucial to avoid burnout and maintain authenticity in creative work.
- Web3 offers new opportunities for collaboration, shared audiences, and collective platform ownership, challenging the individualistic hustle culture online.
Emphasizing communal expression over individuality in online spaces is leading to a transition from individualization to group identity, defining the modern self. Time 0:00:00
Collaborative Creativity for Artistic Empowerment Artists are encouraged to collaborate and release work together, as demonstrated by the Metalabel organization, which promotes creative collaboration, cooperation, and mutual support. The concept of meta-label signifies a paradigm shift in how independent artists are teaming up for collective empowerment, away from the limitations of the platform economy. This collaborative approach aims to liberate artists from the constraints of seeking individual success in a competitive environment.
Speaker 3
What if, instead of operating like independent economic agents vying for our tensions, streams, and clicks, artists squatted up and released work together.
Speaker 4
Before long, Strickler teamed up with a group of artists and technologists to start Metalabel, an organization that describes itself as growing a universe of knowledge, resources, And tools that inspire creative collaboration, cooperation, and mutual support. The group, which includes musician Anna Bulbrook and Etsy co -creator Rob Kalin, has yet to reveal what those tools consist of, beyond hinting that they’ll have something to do with Blockchain. But, like other internet’s Squad Wealth article and Matt Dryhurst and Holly Herndon’s interdependence idea before it, the meta -label concept offers some useful language for describing A paradigm shift that is clearly already underway. You can see it in how independent artists are teaming up to form DOWs or corporate media types hyping up the so -called great rebundling. Naturally, we couldn’t help but want to dig deeper into the idea. Whether you’re a musician, a writer, a fashion designer, or an activist, how might reframing our creative output as releases on a label free us up from the diminishing returns of the Platform economy?
Speaker 3
Today, we’re excited to welcome Yancey and Metalabel co -founderCreating a Meaningful Context for Work The speaker realized that despite having projects they wanted and worked hard for, they felt overwhelmed and alone. Upon reading about the history of punk and indie rock, they understood the importance of creating a context where their work felt legitimate and meaningful. This insight led them to reflect on the lack of passion in their own projects and the need to build their own world of creativity and entrepreneurship.
Speaker 1
But where I found myself just a year ago was someone who was running an online community, a community called the Bendo Society, supporting a lot of other projects, had a lot of writing Commitments I’d made, newsletters, some longer form things. And even though everything on my plate was something I had wanted and had worked hard to make happen, I found myself hating the experience.
Speaker 4
Why was that?
Speaker 1
I just was constantly thirsty and felt really alone. And even in my community, felt alone, felt like this person just holding all this responsibility. And the passion was harder to find. And it was around that time I was rereading a book called Our Band Could Be Your Life by Michael Azarad, which tells the story of history of punk rock and indie rock in America. And what really stood out were just how entrepreneurial the start of these scenes were, because these are people making music that nobody appreciated or liked. So they had to make their entire universes punk rock and art rock and hardcore can make sense. And they were like world building, they’re world building venues and labels and scenes. And they were doing that so that they could have a context where they were legitimate. And when I thought about the power of that work, and I tried looking at my own output of all these projects that I was underwater with.Shifting from individual creator to collaborative label mindset Viewing projects as part of a collective label rather than individual creations can shift the emotional relationship to work from overwhelmed to empowered, allowing for the freedom to move on to new projects. This perspective also emphasizes collaboration over individual visibility, leading to the realization of the goal of working with others. While this shift may not have initially pointed towards entrepreneurship, discussing and collaborating with respected individuals can organically lead to the creation of a necessary startup.
Speaker 1
And they were like world building, they’re world building venues and labels and scenes. And they were doing that so that they could have a context where they were legitimate. And when I thought about the power of that work, and I tried looking at my own output of all these projects that I was underwater with. And when I thought of them as what if instead this is more like the catalog of a label and not just like this single creator who’s in over their head, my whole emotional relationship to This work changed. I no longer felt overwhelmed by it. I felt empowered. And just because I’d released something before didn’t mean I had to do it forever. Like I could move on to another thing. And it also just really shifted my gaze away from how am I as an individual creator getting eyeballs to instead just seeing all the potential of collaborating with others and that felt More and more like the goal I should be working towards. I didn’t intend for it to translate it to creating a startup in no way was that a path that was clear to me, but for me, just trying to better understand my own realization, talking about It with other people who I respect and care about like Austin, like the other co -founders and Metalabel and a bunch of artists who’ve been super helpful along the way. This just organically emerged as a thing that felt necessary.Collaborative Creative Production in Online Economy The speaker, a creator, feels a desire to break down the barrier between themselves and their audience, aiming for a more collaborative creative production. They reflect on the evolving online creative economy, questioning the traditional methods of audience engagement like asking for likes and subscriptions. The speaker sees a cultural shift where people are craving more collaboration in creative work, prompting a reevaluation of how work is distributed and consumed in the digital space.
Speaker 1
Yeah, I would constantly feel as a writer, as a creator, you know, and I’m like, say sending a newsletter, it feels like I’m writing something to these people, like I’m asking them to Be my audience. And in many ways, I want to be with them. And I don’t want there to be such a hard wall between me as a creator and them as an audience. And I think the work is so much better supported if there is a more porous membrane, say separating these groups. And I think this starts to go a little bit in that direction.
Speaker 2
Me, it’s a very interesting cultural moment where I can see a tide shifting a bit and people craving the actual creative production to be collaborative as well. And like rethinking, how are we going to distribute this work? One question the NCS the other week, I thought was really interesting. Are we gonna be asking people to like and subscribe in 10 years like in 2032? Are we going to keep doing that? Is Bandcamp still going to be around? Is that still going to be the home of independent music on Epic Games? It feels like a moment to be imaginative and rethinking our relationship to our online creative economy and how we’re making work.
Speaker 3
Yeah, and it’s kind of crazy because it really hasn’t beenThe Evolution of Music Labels Role Labels used to have a significant curatorial role in the music industry, akin to record store clerks for recommendations. Independent record labels are seen as a blueprint for a more positive model compared to the exploitative image associated with major labels that are perceived as controlling machines for creative IP.
Speaker 3
Yeah, and it’s kind of crazy because it really hasn’t been that long since labels had this kind of important curatorial role in the landscape, especially during like my early career As music journalist and through the early parts of the 10s. You really were following individual labels and entities and turning to them almost in the way that you would turn to like a record store clerk for a music recommendation or whatever. And then that has sadly become de -emphasized. You point to, our band could be your life as that initial spark for this idea. What I’m curious about is what about independent record labels make it a blueprint for this idea as opposed to what people usually think of nowadays when they think of major labels and They think of them as these exploitative entities.
Speaker 1
Mean, I think major labels are creative IP controlling machines.Labels vs. Brands: Centering Aesthetic Ideal vs. Promoting a Core Product The essence of a label is to center an aesthetic ideal, a cultural worldview, and a way of living, while funding and promoting artists who share the same worldview. It is seen as a generous and powerful approach, contrasting with the brand model that focuses on creating experiences to lead back to a core product. The shift in promoting labels over brands may have diminished due to the rise of online life, where openly appreciating a label can be viewed as privileged rather than credible indie, highlighting the changing perceptions of independence in the industry.
Speaker 1
You do it because you believe in it, because you want to manifest more of some cultural worldview, some taste, your region, some point of view. I think of a startup as an institution for capital. I think of a label as an institution for culture. Money is an important component to that as a fuel to that, but it’s not the point. It’s not what’s centered. I think a label is different from a brand or a brand. You’re creating like experiences that are all meant to feed back to a core product in the end. In the end, you’re supposed to buy Sprite or Everlane or whatever. But a label, a label is centering like an aesthetic ideal. It’s centering a way of living and it’s funding and promoting different artists who all share that same worldview. And so I see that as like a really generous and powerful and less selfish way of seeing the world. Yeah.
Speaker 4
I’m curious. Why do you think that kind of model or ethos has disappeared from public view?
Speaker 1
I think a lot of why it disappeared from, from public view. One is just like the of online life, where if you’re an artist and you start talking about how much you love your label, it looks privileged. It definitely doesn’t have the credibility of being indie, even what being indie means has changed.The Power and Potential of Labels in Culture Labels, often overlooked and de-centered in platforms like Spotify, hold immense unappreciated power applicable not only to music but all cultural realms. They can highlight the manipulative nature of capitalism and serve as a meta-label, challenging conventional systems. Despite being undervalued due to shady examples and economic factors, labels have the potential to reemerge with a grassroots approach. As human curation gives way to platforms, the revival of indie label dynamics can counteract the declining significance of labels in today’s culture.
Speaker 1
Within Spotify, a label is a non -clickable footnote at the bottom of a page. It has zero presence whatsoever. It has been completely de -centered. So I think that they are underappreciated. And I think that they have a power that is applicable to not just the world of music, but to all realms of culture. And the way I look at a project like say Mischief, I view Mischief as a label, I think they’re a meta label. And the goal of Mischief is to reveal how manipulative capitalism is by making drops that are really manipulative using various tools of capitalism to reinforce that idea. The whole form of being a label, being a meta -label is such a key part to their context and the language of what they do. I just think it is a powerful model that is unpopular because of how shady the most prominent examples are and because the economics of our current systems don’t really reward them, Don’t value them. But I think those are all things that are very changeable, especially if the label is reborn as a bottoms up way the way indie labels were in the first place.
Speaker 3
As consistent with just the decline of the human curator in favor of the platform, more generally, like some of the same forces that deemphasize labels also deemphasize theReconsidering the Role of Middlemen in Music Industry The term ‘middleman’ in the music industry carries a negative connotation of being dispensable, leading many labels to struggle for relevance and partner with platforms like Spotify. Instead of ‘middleman,’ a term like ‘community barrier’ could be more apt. There is a trend towards valuing human recommendations over algorithms, as seen in the preference for personal recommendations from trusted sources like friends in Discord groups over content on mainstream platforms.
Speaker 4
Right. I actually argue that this is something I think a lot about Austin, and I’m really glad you brought it up because I think even the term middleman is kind of a misnomer, has kind of a negative Connotation of being dispensable. And it’s something that I think a lot of mainstream labels have sort of just accepted as their fate, they’re kind of flailing for relevance now and butting up with platforms like Spotify As opposed to, I don’t know, like what’s another term we could think of here instead of middleman, maybe community barrier, but it’s a really interesting point because it’s become So synonymous with dispensability.
Speaker 3
It’s also like this is a greater cultural turn also to people wanting human recommendation. You know, everyone I know is starting to spend their day in discord. And I guess they still spend their time on Twitter. But I have this little discord group, Andrea’s in it. Share it with other journalists. And I trust the articles they recommend more than whatever happens to be floating past on my newsfeed. And I find much more interesting stuff that way.
Speaker 1
Yeah, I think there was a time where we assumed a neutral relationship with the different platforms that we use.Evolution of Communication Spaces Communication has evolved into private spaces where people feel safer to express their true thoughts. This shift has led to collaborative projects and manifestations in the wider world, ultimately shaping modern culture. Platforms like Discord are becoming key venues for culture-making and collaboration, leading to a lack of language and frameworks to explain this shift to those not heavily involved online.
Speaker 1
And people have rightly responded by turning into more of a shit poster or, you know, being quiet about their actual feelings. And instead, we’ve created more and more private spaces where we can be more real, where we can say what we really think. And those are important because it’s safer there. And in many ways, I see that what we’re experiencing now is like phases of evolution of that change to where more more of us are being real in private spaces and are not speaking our minds Publicly anymore. And as we’re sharing our minds in private spaces, they’re turning into projects, they’re turning into collaborations, they’re manifesting things in the wider world. I think GameStop was like a particularly vivid and ridiculous example of this. But more and more, these discords and other rooms where we are collaborating and conspiring, I think those are the labels and the culture -making venues of the present and the future. It’s already happening and we lack a language and a framework to really explain it or to talk to our parents or anyone that’s not very online about the of it. But I think more and more that’s where that’s where culture is being shaped.Culture Shaped in Private Spaces The evolution of creating private spaces to be real and share thoughts has led to more individuals collaborating and manifesting ideas. This shift is steering culture towards platforms like Discord where collaboration and culture-making occur. Traditional frameworks lack an understanding of this trend, but platforms like MetaLabel provide a language to discuss and comprehend this culture shift.
Speaker 1
And instead, we’ve created more and more private spaces where we can be more real, where we can say what we really think. And those are important because it’s safer there. And in many ways, I see that what we’re experiencing now is like phases of evolution of that change to where more more of us are being real in private spaces and are not speaking our minds Publicly anymore. And as we’re sharing our minds in private spaces, they’re turning into projects, they’re turning into collaborations, they’re manifesting things in the wider world. I think GameStop was like a particularly vivid and ridiculous example of this. But more and more, these discords and other rooms where we are collaborating and conspiring, I think those are the labels and the culture -making venues of the present and the future. It’s already happening and we lack a language and a framework to really explain it or to talk to our parents or anyone that’s not very online about the of it. But I think more and more that’s where that’s where culture is being shaped.
Speaker 3
Yeah, and that’s one of the things that I appreciate about meta label, even just reading the preliminary materials that you put out so far is that even the term itself sort of offers a Language for talking about it.The Power of Public Exploration and Shaping Culture Publicly exploring ideas and inviting participation can manifest major societal shifts like the enlightenment and the scientific revolution, shaping how people see the world. Extinction Rebellion, a climate activist group, employs the concept of a label as a tool to avoid being marginalized as just an activist organization; instead, they aim to shape culture by manipulating media and altering people’s perspectives.
Speaker 1
And for about almost 600 years, they have been doing this, publishing this research and by doing so manifesting the enlightenment Manifesting the scientific revolution putting A new way of seeing the world in people’s minds not creating like some single product like here’s science but instead by exploring the idea publicly and Inviting people to become a part Of it that to me I look at as like the ultimate canonical example of what is the power of a model like this? And I see its relevance in other spaces too. A group that we’re close with and are among our early collaborators are Extinction Rebellion, the climate activists based largely in the UK who are making public rebellions every Six months or so where they’re having people get mass arrested and performing acts of civil disobedience. And for them the idea of seeing themselves as a label is actually very helpful and very insightful because if they see themselves as an activist group they feel. Of put into a corner that people don’t really care about. You kind of get patronizingly pat on the head, good for you, but you’re not a part of mainstream culture. And their goal is not to be an activist organization. Their goal is to shape culture, and they do it by trying to manipulate media and change how people see the world.Catalyzing Change through Artistic Infrastructure An artistic infrastructure can embody a modern digital label, offering a platform for artists and hosting events that shape audience experiences and perceptions. This infrastructure, exemplified in music and projects like the Whole Earth Catalog, aims to transform individuals’ relationships with tools and perspectives, encouraging the adoption of new lifestyles and worldviews. Through providing catalogs and periodicals, such initiatives not only facilitate tangible changes but also influence deeper ideals, even impacting those who simply engage with the content without making a purchase.
Speaker 1
They’re imagining what is like a modern digital version of a label. And they would have artists in residence programs and they would have concerts and events and all kinds of things that FWB is making for their audience. So I think it’s a form that isn’t always legible and we aren’t always aware that that’s what’s happening. But I think that it’s an infrastructure that is quite powerful. And music is just, it’s probably where the model has gotten most deeply expressed. But I think it continues to be alive and relevant in a lot of places.
Speaker 3
When you say in the mission statement, that another example from like the deeper past would be like the whole earth catalog.
Speaker 1
Yeah, I think the whole earth catalog is a great example where, you know, the mission of the whole earth catalog, it’s changing our relationship to useful tools. It’s creating a new lens through which we see the world. There’s this sort of uber goal, this higher level goal it’s trying to manifest. And so they made catalogs, they made periodicals for people to peruse and sort of shop these things or experiment these different ways of seeing the world. There’s like a duality to what it’s doing. It’s like giving you an actual catalog where you can choose things to adopt a different sort of lifestyle, a different way of seeing things. But even the existence of that project is itself like manifesting these deeper ideals. Even if you didn’t buy something you saw in the whole earth catalog, even if you read it, it changes your relationship to the world.Quality Over Frequency in Content Creation The most tragic aspect of the contemporary platform and creator economy is the pressure to produce content just to stay visible in feeds, which often leads to subpar work. While consistent content creation is important, it shouldn’t mean overwhelming audiences with content daily. The increase in content production during COVID resulted in burnout for many creators, trapped in structures that hinder creativity. The comparison to top creators can create a self-imposed expectation to constantly produce, leading to a cycle of overwork and exhaustion.
Speaker 4
So when you think about the contemporary platform, field, creator economy, what do you think is the most tragic thing about it?
Speaker 1
I think it’s the making content just to stay on top of people’s feeds. I think that rarely produces the best work or insights. I mean, there’s something to like the muscle of writing every day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be pushing yourself into everybody’s inbox every day. I feel like during COVID, all of our content production schedules increased quite a bit because the speed of the internet increased. Where I found myself is locking myself into creative structures and patterns and commitments that ultimately were just burning me out. You know, I’ve often thought about creating some bot that just tracks every time, you know, someone writes a sub stack about going on hiatus. And like normally that follows, you know, maybe three or four months before they announced they were adding paid subscriptions and they’re going to be increasing their publishing Schedule. And I think there’s a catch 22 that we often get ourselves into because we are comparing ourselves to some of like real top one percenters who are really great at writing and creating Prolifically and it feels like the bar we have to meet.Quality over Quantity in Content Creation Focusing on creating content just to stay visible in feeds might not result in the best work or insights. Despite the benefit of writing regularly, it is not necessary to push content out daily. The pressure to constantly produce content during COVID led to creative burnout for many. Comparing oneself to elite creators and feeling the need to meet their prolific output standards can be discouraging and drain the joy out of creating. Prioritizing quality and authenticity over quantity is crucial in content creation to avoid losing inspiration and passion for the craft.
Speaker 1
I think it’s the making content just to stay on top of people’s feeds. I think that rarely produces the best work or insights. I mean, there’s something to like the muscle of writing every day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to be pushing yourself into everybody’s inbox every day. I feel like during COVID, all of our content production schedules increased quite a bit because the speed of the internet increased. Where I found myself is locking myself into creative structures and patterns and commitments that ultimately were just burning me out. You know, I’ve often thought about creating some bot that just tracks every time, you know, someone writes a sub stack about going on hiatus. And like normally that follows, you know, maybe three or four months before they announced they were adding paid subscriptions and they’re going to be increasing their publishing Schedule. And I think there’s a catch 22 that we often get ourselves into because we are comparing ourselves to some of like real top one percenters who are really great at writing and creating Prolifically and it feels like the bar we have to meet. And I think that, you know, just speaking from my experience, and I think is a common one, that just could become really discouraging. And it really sucks the inspiration and the love out of why you do in the first place. And, you know, the cultural future I rootSupportive Creative Ecosystem Comparing oneself to top achievers can lead to discouragement and drain inspiration. A healthier creative ecosystem involves supporting each other, publishing less, and being content with contributing rather than always aiming to be in the spotlight. Seeking constant recognition and relevance can hinder the quality of creative and meaningful work. It is the steady and consistent effort that ultimately gains traction and success.
Speaker 1
And I think there’s a catch 22 that we often get ourselves into because we are comparing ourselves to some of like real top one percenters who are really great at writing and creating Prolifically and it feels like the bar we have to meet. And I think that, you know, just speaking from my experience, and I think is a common one, that just could become really discouraging. And it really sucks the inspiration and the love out of why you do in the first place. And, you know, the cultural future I root for is maybe one where we’re all publishing less, you know, maybe we’re all supporting each other more, maybe one out of three things that gets Released were like the star of and the other two times were more of a contributor or a supporter of and Would that be a healthier creative ecosystem? Would that be a world where? We’re able to keep our love and our and our fire longer and we’re not burning it out hoping for I don’t know what hope hoping to get seen I think about just that that personal emotional experience Of hunting for eyeballs and hunting for relevance and trying to be noticed. And I just think that those are feelings that are often counterproductive with great creative work and meaningful work. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but I think it’s the slower wheel that gets traction.Rethinking the Creative Economy in Web3 The new online creative economy in Web3 entails rethinking collaboration, work release, platform ownership, and public infrastructure. Web3 offers public protocols for building creative micro economies and collective platform ownership through free-to-use protocols represented by tokens, enabling the creation of internet utilities for various purposes.
Speaker 2
So I think that reim a new online creative economy necessarily requires like a creative and nuanced and intentional way of rethinking not only how we work together collaboratively And release work, but how that informs our relationship the platforms themselves. What kinds of public infrastructure we can use and ownership these platforms. So this has been my entrance point into web three. I think this is why web three is really interesting. Public protocols that are free to use that can become new infrastructure and piping for building creative micro economies and Web3 enabled collective ownership of platforms. That’s kind of the optimistic view that I see.
Speaker 3
Yeah, I was going to ask what alternative forms of economic organization does this concept sort of unlock?
Speaker 2
Yeah, I think a few things about web three are interesting. One is the concept of ownership represented through tokens. Really interesting in the things that can enable as well. An idea that Jacob from Zora has outlined, hyperstructures these unstoppable free to use protocols that can basically be internet utilities for building anything on top of.Embracing Collaboration in Web 3.0 for Creative Work The transition to Web 3.0 may face skepticism initially, but as its utility grows, more people are embracing collaboration, sharing audiences, and economic rewards. This shift challenges the individualistic hustle culture online. Inspirational role models in collaborative work are currently scarce, with major labels often associated with negativity. To promote collaborative work, it is crucial to showcase successful collaborative projects, making it practical, achievable, and beneficial. The key for 2022 is to develop tools that facilitate and streamline collaborative work in Web 3.0.
Speaker 1
Well, I mean, web three could be one as just came up. There’s a lot of rightful skepticism of that set of tooling, but, you know, we, we think that will fade as there’s more utility around it. I think that a lot of people are making that jump of saying, I’m not just going to do work for myself, that I will be a supporter, that I am willing to share my audience, I’m willing to share Economic rewards with others. I think for some people that’s going to be a bit of a leap and it’s a kind of a record scratch versus what the sort of hustle culture of creativity online often reinforces. And I think that people are, right now, they lack inspiring role models to think about. If you talk to someone about a label, they’re gonna think of one of the million crappy things a major label has done. So I think part of our responsibility is to increase the surface area of great labels and projects, to show people that this means of working collaboratively is something that is very Doable, it’s practical, there’s all kinds of upsides and benefits to it. And ultimately to do that in 2022 means creating some tools that make that easier.Emphasizing communal expression over individuality in online spaces Online spaces have evolved from creating safe environments for discussions to a focus on publicly expressing worldviews and manifesting beliefs. This evolution includes starting labels, supporting work that aligns with goals, and collaborating with others. The concept of a post-individual emphasizes finding communities over celebrating individuality, with a shift towards re-individualization that goes beyond pursuing personal desires.
Speaker 3
Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1
I mean, I see them a maturation of those spaces to where, okay, we’ve all created a safe space where we can talk about something that we care about, but you know, maybe a next step would Be how do we publicly express and manifest what our world views are? And so it’s, well, we start a label, we support and release work that fulfills our goals. We’re doing work by ourselves and by others. And ultimately, I see all these things playing into a larger theory that Austin made reference to earlier of the post individual. And there’s a quote from Cahole’s norm core piece, quite infamous norm core piece, that has always stayed with me. “‘Once upon a time, people were born into communities “‘and had to discover their individuality. “‘Today, people are born as individuals, “‘and they have to find their communities.’” And what I increasingly see online is a re -individualization of all of us. Like the internet is a big network, but the first phase of this has been to re -emphasize how we’re all just individual nodes trying to get whatever it is that we want. But what’s distinct about a post -individual is that they don’t see their individuality as an emancipation or an independence.Transition from Individuality to Group Identity The internet has led to a transition from individualization to a focus on group identity. Unlike individuals who seek personal emancipation, post-individuals view individuality as something to move beyond. They seek meaningful connections through groups to define their identity, worldview, and relationships. The modern self is defined by the various groups, ideologies, and online communities one affiliates with, leading to conflicting opinions and a sense of craziness.
Speaker 1
And there’s a quote from Cahole’s norm core piece, quite infamous norm core piece, that has always stayed with me. “‘Once upon a time, people were born into communities “‘and had to discover their individuality. “‘Today, people are born as individuals, “‘and they have to find their communities.’” And what I increasingly see online is a re -individualization of all of us. Like the internet is a big network, but the first phase of this has been to re -emphasize how we’re all just individual nodes trying to get whatever it is that we want. But what’s distinct about a post -individual is that they don’t see their individuality as an emancipation or an independence. They see it as something to graduate from. And what a post -individual does is they seek meaningful relationships and connections through groups. They’re searching for groups through which they can define their identity, through which they can adopt a worldview, through which they can define who they are. And increasingly, your whole self means what are all the groups that you subscribe to? What are all the ideologies and theoretical friendships and relationships that you’ve created with different online communities, different online concepts or expressions of Yourself? And that this is the thing that we’re all carrying around now. And it’s part of what makes us feel crazy. It’s a part of what makes us have conflicting opinions.
