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Back to Obscurity
I think and talk a lot about the rise and fall of digital creators, and why that’s the case. What makes someone — who was once beloved by the masses — eventually lose relevance?
There’s this obscure political science theory called the spiral of insecurity that I think explains a great deal of it. Learn and remember it, and you’ll never see the world, people, or businesses in the same way.
It goes like this: value creation and extraction are the seeds of world domination. And when you plant enough of them over generations — via education, healthcare, innovation, industry — things start to work. Your people get healthier, wealthier, and smarter, and GDP grows.
But eventually you hit the tipping point. It starts with this thought: “Holy cow. Look at us — we’re the greatest country in the world. Oh, shit. Omg. Wtf, do we do now?” (Real quote from Marcus Aurelius.)
You have something to lose now. So, you divest from what created the rise to power in the first place, and start investing excessive amounts of money in defense. The game then becomes about maintaining, not growing. And as a result, things start to fall apart. Education reflects the past, healthcare dwindles, GDP growth slows, and innovation declines.
