Research

Explore our collection of articles on the leading megatrends in technology, politics, and society.

Filter: Culture

12

min

Another piece on Barbenheimer

On the cultural significance of summer blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer

7

min

FreedomLab Selects: Rinus van de Velde — The Armchair Voyager

Vivian Elion analyses the surrealistic exhibition of Rinus van de Velde through the lens of metamodernism.

10

min

How Weirdcore and Y2K aesthetics took over TikTok in times of despair

What style reveals regarding playful nihilism, emotional spending, and dread

11

min

Vibegeist: rave until the grave

The revival of rave and rage in the roaring twenties.

16

min

To cyberspace and beyond

How the cyborg movies of the ‘90s made us fantasize about mind uploading, sentient AI and immortality.

1

min

The fragmentation of social media

When Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian are starting to revolt, you know Instagram is getting into trouble...

2

min

Gen Z chooses anonymity over fame

Why are Gen Zers more likely to prefer online anonymity compared to millennials?

1

min

Extending the self with Instagram's augmented-reality face filters

Are we moving towards a culture in which our digitally positioned self is more important than our actual self?

2

min

What is Russia's view on climate change?

Melting ice caps in the Arctic are incentivizing Russia’s exploitation and extraction of natural resources representing the last straw of the Anthropocene.

3

min

Russian digitalization through a Cosmist lens

To understand Russian politics, we need to understand Russian Cosmism, a philosophy that supports the digitalization of the Arctic.

1

min

A cultural cluster bomb

What will be the lasting impact of the cancellation of Russia?

11

min

Resisting the green gold

Deconstructing my purchasing choices: why is it so hard to change behavior?

17

min

Religion and spirituality after the death of God

Secularism could lead to moral and spiritual nihilism that Nietzsche and Dostoevsky warn of. What are the socio-cultural consequences of this?

1

min

The developing intrinsic value of nature

1

min

Stimulating sustainable consumer practices

1

min

On realizing we are not alone

1

min

Elon Musk – What does his popularity tell us about 21st century leadership?

1

min

Hegemonic shift makes the European Super League inevitable

1

min

Building national character based on trauma

1

min

Crowdsourcing morality for autonomous systems

8

min

How do we distil a good narrative from 2020?

16

min

The Retroscope 2020

10

min

The future of Trumpism

1

min

The outdoor economy

2

min

Blurring boundaries with mixed reality toys

6

min

Is the meme culture causing an increase in widespread stereotypes?

7

min

American soft power is under pressure

9

min

Retroscope 2019: Socio-cultural

5

min

Horror in times of uncertainty

Horror movies allow us to safely explore extreme scenarios... what do they tell us about our current fears?

2

min

E-sports on steroids

Fleeing from the public squares of the internet

Megablockbusters: A societal forum for the negotiation of social values

The dilemma of future sports regulation

Is TikTok a vector for Chinese ideals?

Contemporary spirituality is all about the self

21st century Luddites target self-driving cars

The VAR system and the datafication of everyday life

Sports wearables: When the amateur goes pro

The widespread use of performance-tracking technologies has changed the practice of sports

Retroscope 2018: Socio-cultural