Do Not Research

Do Not Research is a multidisciplinary publication exploring contemporary issues through art, essays, and analyses. It covers internet culture, digital and political art, technology's impact on society, and the evolving relationship between humans and digital media. Themes include the critique of consumer culture, digital legacy, and speculative futures.

Internet Culture Digital Art Technology and Society Consumerism Mental Health Political Art Digital Legacy Speculative Futures Environmental Impact of Technology Human-Computer Interaction

The hottest Substack posts of Do Not Research

And their main takeaways

Abbey Pusz: Ruth Bader Ginsberg is Dead

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
📚 Literature Poetry Discussion Analysis Critique Reflection
  1. Ruth Bader Ginsberg's death was discussed in a class in a unique way, with students comparing it to a black square and questioning representation.
  2. The students reflected on the importance of recycling and digitizing paper, symbolizing a broader theme of freedom and inclusivity.
  3. The story highlighted the power of education and how individuals like Emma can inspire change and build a better future.

Logan Marrow: Edeologies: Taoist Anarchism

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
📖 Philosophy Anarchism Ideology Society Ethics
  1. Taoist Anarchism challenges traditional political labels like left/right, emphasizing living in harmony with the world as it is.
  2. The concept of vinegar tasters signifies different philosophical views - Confucius wanting to change, Buddha accepting suffering, and Lao Tzu embracing the present.
  3. Taoist Anarchism suggests a society without defined ideologies where people act naturally based on their environment, steering away from bureaucratic systems.

Crude Futures: Hyberborean Mashup

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎭️ Culture Aesthetics Internet culture Conspiracy Theories Far-right Symbolism
  1. Internet movements like the alt-right and QAnon evolve through specific aesthetics to stay relevant and attract followers.
  2. Far-right aesthetic styles like terrorwave and fashwave had limitations in gaining popularity and spreading online compared to QAnon's more adaptable and engaging aesthetic.
  3. The emergence of 'Hyperborean Mashup' as a far-right aesthetic response to QAnon, blending complex symbolism, conspiracy theories, and intense visuals, reflects a deeper search for transformation and meaning within the far-right community.

Societyiftextwall: Long Meme

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎭️ Culture Society Art Philosophy Dystopia
  1. Our society is living in a dystopia that has been hypernormalized, making us unaware of its reality.
  2. Technological advancements have not delivered the promised liberation, leading to a feeling of meaninglessness in our lives.
  3. Imagining and working towards a better future is essential, focusing on collective political action and a realistic, militant approach.
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Sjef van Beers: Gamer Keyboard Wall Piece #1

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Gaming Online Culture Visual art Social Commentary
  1. Online culture often portrays gamers in a negative light, highlighting stereotypes such as being socially inept and aggressive.
  2. The _Gamer Keyboard Wall Piece_ series reimagines the gamer stereotype using gamer subculture visuals to give it a new political identity.
  3. The artwork _Gamer Keyboard Wall Piece #1_ uses RGB lit keys of gamer keyboards as pixels in a video installation that addresses themes like loneliness and anxiety.

Devin Thomas O'Shea: Jon Has No Chill

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎭️ Culture YouTube Music Personal Development Faith
  1. Jon started his YouTube channel to document his life journey, from vasectomy to divorce to fatherhood, showing his struggles and personal growth.
  2. Jon's channel is named 'Jon Has No Chill' and he creates vlogs discussing life lessons, relationships, and spirituality, aiming to inspire and guide his viewers.
  3. Despite challenges and low viewership, Jon continues to create content, evolving in production quality, discussing various themes, and advocating for a positive mindset.

Dylan Serventi: Taking Stock: A Scale Model of a City

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Cityscape Urban life
  1. The city was established near water and has grown with systems for water and other networks like a typical urban area.
  2. The city expanded vertically, horizontally, and underground, accommodating over 8 million residents who engage with these established systems and networks.
  3. Unique individuals like Josh, Collin, a group of Collin's friends, a hedge fund manager, a master planner, and a corn snake are part of the city's population.

Logan Bruni: Commute

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Animation Digital Art Podcasts
  1. The post features an animated video with deepfake technology and a generated podcast discussing a new Ghostbusters villain called Muncher.
  2. It explores how digital distractions from screens and parasocial podcasts affect the daily commute to a job, leaving lingering thoughts and ideas.
  3. The artwork incorporates images of a cornfield outside the artist's apartment and Google Maps visuals of the daily highway drive, set to background music by holly.plus.

Jane Balfus: Office Luck and Bounty

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Animation Collaboration Music Visual art Writing
  1. The post 'Office Luck and Bounty' reflects on the notion of freedom amidst mundane office materials and the avatar of a weeping secretary.
  2. The work explores historicizing everyday moments as precious gifts, regardless of their nature, through the lens of an ordinary worker.
  3. Collaboration with Sam Balfus, along with music by Galen Tipton and Elusin, adds depth to the artistic portrayal of themes like cuteness with violence and flirtation with hysteria.

Anon: Moderators, Murder, Memes

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎭️ Culture Internet Psychology Society Violence
  1. There is a connection between the PTSD experienced by drone operators, content moderators, and the desensitization of online users.
  2. The internet has had phases of gore and shock content, leading to an arms race to find and share disturbing posts.
  3. The presence of moderators limiting exposure to gore online impacts individuals' psyche by introducing a level of darkness into their lives.

Ian Campbell: URL to IRL: Where Does the Funnel End?

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
📖 Philosophy Theory Organization Debate
  1. Online radicalization often leads individuals into a rabbit hole of extreme beliefs, but the only way out is through transitioning to real-world engagement.
  2. Reading political theory online can be oversimplified; true understanding comes from studying texts in their historical context and as part of a larger analysis.
  3. Effective political organizations require a strong program to unify members and foster healthy debate, unlike online spaces where disagreements often lead to fragmentation.

Filip Kostic: 24 Hour Bed PC Live Stream

0 implied HN points • 15 Aug 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Performance Artwork Gaming Sculpture
  1. Filip Kostic conducted a 24-hour live stream from a bed PC, blending art, gaming, and work in a unique performance.
  2. He highlighted the concept of collapsing the space between his bed and his workstation to optimize his life.
  3. The 'Bed PC' experiment aimed to blur boundaries and create a borderless life of work, art, and play within the confines of a bedroom.

Grace Menninger: Invisible Hand

0 implied HN points • 05 Jul 21
🎭️ Culture Religion Capitalism Geography History Identity
  1. The United States is deeply shaped by the intersection of religion and capitalism, evident in places like factories and churches that dominate the landscape.
  2. American Protestantism and Mormonism exemplify how religion and capitalism intertwine, with Protestantism showcasing the country's work ethic and devotion, and Mormonism reflecting a blend of Christian faith and financial interests.
  3. The Midwest landscapes convey a sense of divine apocalypse through elements like tornado-twisted trees, abandoned factories, endless train tracks, and the eerie coexistence of religious symbols and capitalist remnants.

Nick Vyssotsky: La La La La (Inside An Empty Room My Inspiration Flows)

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Visual art
  1. The video 'La La La La (Inside An Empty Room My Inspiration Flows)' by Nick Vyssotsky explores a collection of images liked by the director on various social media platforms over the past decade, reflecting the world and the director's own portrait.
  2. The video is synchronized with the Nightcore remix of the ATC song 'Around The World,' presenting a rapid succession of images that depict humanity's connection to conflict, technology, and precarity.
  3. The overall atmosphere of the video feels like an indoctrination or propaganda piece, hinting at themes related to MKultra and the Ludovico Treatment by portraying a world shaped by proximity to conflict and technology.

Bella Kozyreva: America's Uncanny Valley

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 21
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Policy Foreign Policy Political narratives Neoliberalism
  1. Mori's concept of the uncanny valley explains how we feel repulsed when robots resemble humans closely but not perfectly. This theory also applies to our interactions with realistic humanoid robots and AI assistants.
  2. The current political landscape, from the Trump presidency to the Biden administration, can be likened to moving through an uncanny valley. Each administration represents a shift between familiarity and unsettling foreignness in governance.
  3. The eerie and weird, described by scholars like Fisher, offer insights into the disquieting feelings of our current uncertain times. To move forward, we must embrace the 'weird' by challenging existing political norms and demanding new, transformative policies.

Logan Marrow: Leaving Babylon

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 21
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Religion Spirituality Politics History
  1. Rastafari originated in the Caribbean in the late 1920s with ties to anti-western imperialist thought and a 'back-to-Africa' ethos
  2. The ironic Rasta memes in modern social media serve as a gateway to leftist ideology through humor and righteous references to unfamiliar religions
  3. The integration of spirituality with political views, as seen in Rasta memes, challenges the separation of religion from everyday activities in liberal American society

Ryan Maleady: Hacktivism 2.0

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 21
🕹 Technology Cybersecurity Activism Art
  1. Hacktivism 2.0 involves using technology for disruptive actions against systems perceived as the enemy.
  2. The call to action is to embrace radical gestures like hacking, surveillance, and disrupting established institutions.
  3. The piece explores a shift from traditional jobs to tech-enabled forms of resistance, challenging societal norms.

Dimitri Karakostas: Doomer - The Game

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 21
🕹 Technology Gaming
  1. Doomer is a video game inspired by the classic Doom game from the late '90s, offering a unique experience with textures, level designs, and engaging gameplay.
  2. The game serves as a time capsule of the late-2020s memescape, featuring unconventional imagery like Nick Land, Hunter Biden, and anime characters, providing a novel and intriguing gaming experience.
  3. Doomer's availability for download on both Windows and Mac systems allows players to easily access and enjoy the game, despite potential compatibility issues with modern devices.

Nate Sloan: BEYOND BASED AND CRINGE

0 implied HN points • 21 Jun 21
🎭️ Culture Art Music Literature Philosophy
  1. Culture today blurs the line between irony and sincerity, impacting how we appreciate art and media.
  2. Recognizing the need to move beyond the simplistic notions of 'based' and 'cringe' can lead to new artistic expressions.
  3. Artists like Evian Christ and Nick Vyssotsky challenge traditional boundaries, embracing extreme references and mixing high and low culture in their work.

Jak Ritger & Anthony Simons: Plotting Attention Bubbles

0 implied HN points • 06 Jun 21
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Activism Online Activism Social media Attention Economy Political engagement
  1. Internet users' attention is fleeting, with online trends rising and disappearing quickly, posing challenges for sustained activism.
  2. Attention bubbles cover diverse topics but share ephemerality, reaching peaks rapidly but crashing equally fast.
  3. Activism relying on online engagement faces challenges of sustainability and real-world impact, emphasizing the need for cohesive, collaborative efforts offline.

Noelle: Reclaim the Network

0 implied HN points • 20 Apr 21
🎭️ Culture Internet culture Counterculture Social media
  1. The Internet culture is shifting towards a gamified and algorithm-driven state, where e-deologies are emerging as new forms of radicalism and expression among the younger generation.
  2. There is a transition from the depressive anhedonia described by Mark Fisher to a more anxious and delirious cultural state, marked by a multitude of splintering e-deologies in response to capitalism's contradictions.
  3. The concept of networks and connections in the digital age is explored through mythological figures, emphasizing the importance of becoming unknowable to effectively combat capitalist realism and envision alternative futures.

News/Acc: Sailing through Sewage

0 implied HN points • 20 Apr 21
📰 News Media Journalism Television Propaganda Satellites
  1. 24/7 news channels can sometimes act as propaganda pipelines with massive reach and funding.
  2. The media landscape is heavily influenced by factors like ownership, profit orientation, and large investments required to start media ventures.
  3. Watching news channels like Euronews can be a dull experience, with repetitive stories and little insightful critique.

Max Lopez: Cultural Work is Not the Problem

0 implied HN points • 20 Apr 21
🎭️ Culture Media Politics Art Identity Social Issues
  1. Memes play a significant role in shaping political discourse and can impact real-world actions.
  2. Cultural analysis and critique are essential to combatting essentialist thinking and building a more cohesive Left movement.
  3. The Left must unite class analysis with considerations of race and gender to form a common struggle against dominant oppressive systems.

Erik Simkins: 48.5514° N, 123.0781° W (2021)

0 implied HN points • 20 Apr 21
  1. Mass events are filled with theatrical displays to address societal anxieties and prevent explosive outcomes.
  2. Political leaders are often detached from the daily struggles of the people and engaged in shallow displays of power.
  3. Online spaces for public discourse are shrinking, leading to intensified gatherings and confrontations in physical spaces.

Tomi Faison: Quarantv: A Brief and Accidental Window to Utopia

0 implied HN points • 13 Apr 21
🎭️ Culture Art Society Media Music Politics
  1. Some individuals thrived creatively and productively when freed from traditional work roles during the pandemic, showcasing the potential of Universal Basic Income (UBI) or similar systems.
  2. The Quaran.tv initiative demonstrated how redirecting labor towards creating public goods rather than private commodities can lead to a sense of purpose and joy, outside of market constraints.
  3. By exploring alternative labor models and challenges to the current capitalist structure, there is an opportunity to envision a society where individuals can pursue meaningful endeavors without coercion or profit-driven motives.

Margo Bergamini: Rate Your Shelf

0 implied HN points • 06 Apr 21
🎭️ Culture Literature Podcasts Politics Art Social Commentary
  1. The importance of a genuine love for literature and resisting cultural decline in online literary communities.
  2. The emergence of an intellectually ambitious fringe right Twitter group that values intellectual growth and rejects mainstream political movements.
  3. The need for the left to focus not just on material improvements, but also on expanding human freedom and creative capacities to fulfill the promises of modernism.

Kara: Cults and Trauma

0 implied HN points • 05 Apr 21
🏥 Health & Wellness Trauma Cults Healing Mental health Community
  1. Trauma overwhelms the nervous system, distorts thinking, and fragments the sense of self. Healing trauma requires finding a safe community to process it.
  2. Traumatized individuals are drawn to cults seeking purpose, identity, and belonging. Cult-like groups can hinder true healing from trauma.
  3. It's important to approach those in cults with care, listening, and non-judgment. Providing a sense of safety and offering support can help individuals transition out of cult thinking.

Holly O: Hyperborea

0 implied HN points • 30 Mar 21
💾 History Myth Europe Asia Nationalism Occult
  1. Hyperborea, the mythological land beyond the northern wind, has intrigued Europeans since ancient times, believed to be the winter home of Apollo with eternal sunshine.
  2. The possible locations of Hyperborea have been suggested to include Iceland, Greenland, the British Isles, Scandinavia, and even Northern Asia, with different cultural associations over time.
  3. Despite the unlikelihood of Hyperborea's existence, its legend continues to captivate people, sparking renewed interest and speculation about its location and nature.

Matt L: Alien-Nation

0 implied HN points • 23 Mar 21
⛪ Faith & Spirituality Spiritual Awakening Alienation Individualism Solidarity
  1. The rise of belief systems like Qanon and Starseeds highlights the powerful impact of alienation on individuals' worldviews and search for meaning.
  2. Both Qanon and Starseeds offer individuals a sense of belonging, purpose, and agency in a world filled with chaos and uncertainty.
  3. Starseeds, while advocating for global enlightenment and unity, often struggle with individualism and echo chambers, hindering their potential to drive large-scale change.

Jak Ritger: Towards Crypétournement

0 implied HN points • 20 Mar 21
🎨 Art & Illustration Digital Art NFTs Crypto History Capitalism
  1. Counter-narratives flourished after Donald Trump's removal, like the r/WallStreetBets Gamestop surge, showing the power of online communities in financial markets.
  2. NFTs are reshaping the role of cryptocurrency by introducing use value beyond speculation, ushering in emotional connections to digital assets.
  3. The rise of Art NFTs mirrors historical trends in art and capitalism, stimulating crypto-capital with seasonal drops and creating symbolic gestures of power and ownership.

Jak Ritger: The MLM Project Log 2: The Project

0 implied HN points • 19 Mar 21
  1. MLMs exploit inequality for growth, leveraging issues like sexism, racism, and classism.
  2. MLMs influence politics through a persuasive, self-replicating market form called 'MLMification.'
  3. MLMified politics use strategies like in-group vs. out-group peer pressure for recruitment and conversion.

Nate Sloan: Public-Private Partnerships for Mediate-Immediate Experiences

0 implied HN points • 15 Sep 21
🎭️ Culture Architecture Urbanism Public spaces Neoliberalism Social media
  1. Advertisement experiences in skyscrapers are positioned as an escape from enclosed spaces like the home office.
  2. Architectural experiences like 'Vessel' and 'Summit OV' reflect the merging of public and private spaces, driven by market incentives and social media influence.
  3. The dynamic between public and private sectors in urban development highlights the shift towards commercial interests over public good, impacting the concept of public space.

coldsteel003: Simfiltrator

0 implied HN points • 15 Oct 22
🎭️ Culture Society Humanity Technology Communication Simulation
  1. The post discusses the concept of society as a game environment where technology and human perception intersect in complex ways.
  2. It explores the idea of alienation and the difficulty in seeing others as individuals in a society where everyone is supposed to be unique.
  3. The narrative in the post reflects a struggle between real humans and what are portrayed as non-playable entities within a simulated reality.

Caleb Cain: Millenarian Dreams of the Schizo-scene

0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
🎭️ Culture Spirituality Conspiracy Technology Politics Online community
  1. Millenarianism is a belief in a future societal transformation after which everything will change, often seen in societies facing cultural upheaval.
  2. Today's youth feels disenfranchised and turns to meme culture and radical politics to cope or fight back against societal issues.
  3. Schizo-posting is a blend of diverse ideologies and shared narratives, portraying a mix of anti-establishment, spiritual, and conspiratorial themes.

Xavier Rotnofsky: Calabasas 1/26/20

0 implied HN points • 15 Feb 22
⚔ Fiction Mystery Thriller Suspense
  1. A dense fog in the San Fernando Valley caused an unexpected tragedy in the nearby mountains.
  2. The meeting of UFO hunters in the San Fernando Valley was canceled due to the dense fog.
  3. The post revolves around Xavier Rotnofsky's experience in Calabasas on January 26, 2020.