100: Who Rules the Future?

Hello friends and enemies! We made it to issue 100! We’re now taking bets as to how many issues we can get to before the state shuts us down. 😎

Speaking of which, did you know there’s a chat function associated with this publication on substack? Unlike others, we don’t restrict according to subscriber status. So by all means, use it! (Sherida, perhaps you could test it by starting a thread for us all?)

For our 100th issue we present a synthesis/summary of our first 1-95. No point in summarizing the last five, since they were recent enough our Long Covid brains should still be able to recall them vaguely. For the rest, read this interesting synthesis of how we got here, with links included!

Hopefully we’ll do this again before 200. Post a comment sharing any subjects, topics, or villains we should profile in the days and weeks to come.

Authority is in crisis. The institutions that once structured political, economic, and social life are crumbling under the weight of compounding failures. As the world enters what some call the Polycrisis Era, power is being reshaped—not through democratic consensus, but through algorithmic control, financial monopolization, and media-driven spectacle. The struggle over authority has become the defining battle of our time.

The Fracturing of Authority: A Polycrisis Reality

Authority has historically relied on stability, credibility, and legitimacy. Today, these pillars are eroding as multiple crises—climate change, economic instability, political dysfunction—converge in a self-reinforcing cycle (source). Governments increasingly prioritize loyalty over competence, consolidating power in figures who offer spectacle instead of solutions (source). This vacuum is being filled by authoritarianism, financial coercion, and algorithmic control.

Algorithmic Authority and the AI Arms Race

Artificial intelligence has been sold as a force for democratization, but its real impact has been to consolidate power in fewer hands (source). AI-driven decision-making is increasingly opaque, shifting accountability from institutions to unseen algorithms. Meanwhile, AI development has become a geopolitical battleground, with states and corporations racing to monopolize its capabilities (source). This concentration of computational power is now a strategic asset, furthering economic and military dominance while deepening societal inequality.

The Weaponization of Attention and Narrative Control

The phrase “data is the new oil” has dominated conversations about the digital economy, but this metaphor is deeply flawed (source). Unlike oil, data is not a scarce resource—it is an overabundant, rapidly depreciating commodity. The real source of value in the digital economy is not raw data, but attention.

Modern authority does not demand obedience—it demands engagement. The digital landscape has transformed power into a function of attention. Algorithmic manipulation of discourse ensures that certain narratives dominate while others are buried (source). Authoritarian regimes and nationalist movements have weaponized memetic warfare, spreading ideological propaganda through decentralized, leaderless networks (source). The ability to shape reality through digital influence has become as important as governance itself.

Economic Warfare and the Rise of Crypto-Authoritarianism

The economic battlefield is shifting, with cryptocurrency being integrated into governance structures to bypass global financial regulations (source). Meanwhile, financial instability is being leveraged as a tool of political control. Tariffs, once used as economic levers, are now political distractions, engineering crises that benefit tech oligarchs and financial speculators (source). This strategic chaos reinforces a divide where economic policy is wielded as a weapon rather than a means of public good.

The End of Predictability and the Collapse of Trust

The frameworks that once provided stability in forecasting governance and economics are disintegrating (source). As unpredictability fuels radicalization, both elites and marginalized groups are seeking new ways to assert power. The result is a fragmented authority structure, where competing forces—states, corporations, and decentralized movements—vie for dominance in an environment of persistent uncertainty.

Fascism and the Construction of Parallel Power

Trump’s return to power exemplifies the shift away from institutional legitimacy toward loyalty (source). By circumventing the law through mass pardons and personal allegiances (source), he is constructing a parallel power structure where authority is derived not from democratic governance, but from personal networks of influence. This undermines traditional state functions and accelerates the erosion of rule-of-law.

The Climate Crisis and the Fragility of Authority

The climate crisis is not just an environmental disaster—it is an existential challenge to governance (source). Governments and financial institutions have long derived legitimacy from providing stability. As climate collapse intensifies—through floods, wildfires, and supply chain disruptions—traditional governance models are proving inadequate. The insurance industry, for example, built on managing risk, now faces an existential crisis as climate unpredictability renders financial models obsolete (source). This fuels distrust, pushing populations toward alternative governance models.

Exploitation of Labor: From Migrants to Prisoners

The economic restructuring of labor is another means by which authority is maintained. Mass deportations have created farm labor shortages, now being filled by prison labor, further entrenching the prison-industrial complex (source). This shift is part of a broader economic realignment where coercive labor practices ensure a supply of disposable workers while reinforcing state control over marginalized populations.

The Crypto Coup and the Future of Financial Sovereignty

The Trump-Musk alliance is not merely advocating for deregulation—it is orchestrating the replacement of the U.S. dollar with a privatized cryptocurrency system (source). This would fundamentally reshape global authority, transferring economic power away from democratic governments and into the hands of a tech-oligarch elite. Unlike traditional currencies, Bitcoin and other digital assets are controlled by a concentrated few, with wealth distribution more unequal than in traditional finance. If implemented, this transformation would redefine financial sovereignty, shifting economic governance out of public hands entirely.

The Death of the Future

Authority has historically been legitimized by promising a better future. But what happens when faith in the future collapses? (source). Economic precarity, climate anxiety, and political dysfunction have eroded the idea that progress is inevitable. Instead, societies are shifting toward nostalgia, apocalyptic fatalism, or radical restructuring efforts. Without a shared vision of the future, authority becomes unmoored, leaving space for alternative power structures to emerge.

A Future Beyond Algorithmic Rule

The collapse of institutional authority does not mean the end of governance. It presents an opportunity to rethink what authority should be. The emerging reality does not have to be one of algorithmic governance, corporate data monopolies, and AI-driven decision-making. The alternative is a reimagining of authority as participatory, distributed, and responsive.

For this to happen, the illusion of inevitability must be shattered (source). AI does not have to be a tool of centralized control. Finance does not have to be structured around elite interests. Media does not have to be dictated by algorithmic manipulation. The future of authority will be determined not by technological progress alone, but by the political and social movements that decide how—or if—it should be used.

Disability as a Mass Movement

Disability is no longer a marginal issue—it is rapidly becoming a defining political force (source). The COVID-19 pandemic and climate disasters have accelerated the rise of mass disability, yet ableism remains deeply embedded in political and economic systems. As more people experience chronic illness, long COVID, and climate-related health crises, disability activism is shifting from advocacy to systemic transformation. The fight for accessibility, labor rights, and medical justice is becoming a key battleground in the broader struggle for authority.

A New Model of Authority: Social Workers Over Security

Amid these crises, an alternative model of authority is emerging—one rooted not in coercion, but in care. Cities are beginning to question the logic of expanding security forces while neglecting social services. A shift toward community-based authority, where social workers replace security guards in public spaces, represents a model of governance based on proactive support rather than reactive enforcement (source). This approach challenges the assumption that authority must be imposed from above, offering a vision of authority that is earned through service rather than mandated through force.