Profilicity is this week’s word. As defined by FWB member Nick Susi in his latest essay “The Multitudes of Self,” profilicity is “the shaping of identity by curating multiple profiles based on what others within a larger, personally unknown general public will observe and how they might react.” First of all, every Gemini can relate to this. Second of all, if I have to make one more profile I will kms. With consumer applications becoming increasingly synonymous with social networks, Susi’s essay is a welcome trailhead within the vast digital expanse. (We will get to Moo Deng, trust.) 

He surfaces the concept of digiphrenia, defined as “a mental condition that occurs when people try to exist in multiple places and times simultaneously due to technology, or manage multiple digital versions of oneself at the same time.” How relatable is the mania of concurrently communicating with people in Slack, Instagram DMs, and the group chat, each platform providing a context-specific container for whatever tf we need to yap about at any given moment? Don’t we all know the awkwardness of inadvertently sending a message via the wrong platform, even if the recipient is consistent across all channels.

While arguably not suffering from profilicity or its comorbidity digiphrenia, a certain slippery pygmy hippo has arrested our attention on nearly every app. An unlikely global sensation, Moo Deng is extremely painfully cute, and core to her celebrity is that she provides the perfect blank slate for us to project our digiphrenia onto.

Moo Deng is a lifestyle icon. She is political, she stands for climate resilience. She displays disdain for authority, she is rivaled by other zoo animals, she is just like you. Pete Davidson couldn’t resist her. She is born to loaf, forced to ascend an impossibly slippery zoo enclosure. She was taken to Harrenhal. She’s unbothered, moisturized, in her lane, focused, flourishing. Never has bouncy pork been so relatable. 

But it’s always look at Moo Deng and never how is Moo Deng?

The Thai Zoo where she was born, Khao Kheow Open Zoo, is working on copywriting and trademarking “Moo Deng the hippo” to prevent her from being commercialized by anyone else. Is she aware of her impending conservatorship? Does she have the right support system for her skyrocketing fame?? What about all of us who have worked hard for this algorithm??? She is the modern people’s princess after all. 

Who does Moo Deng belong to if not to herself? This brings us to FKA Twigs, another woman who continues to evolve her identity and self ownership. Her recent single Eusexua is on extremely heavy rotation here at FWB. Twigs famously subverted sovereignty over her digital identity by developing her own deepfake. She has been a model, a dancer, a musician, an advocate, an actor – a C.V. that leaves many people wondering how to categorize her. She has many past, current, and (certainly) future lives, something Susi refers to as identity R&D. He breaks this concept down into a triptyque of temporal self, storied self, and possible self — all informing a more unified way to navigate our multitudinal selves.

FEST24 Lecture: "Designing Neural Media" by K Allado-McDowell

"Designing Neural Media" is an original lecture given by K Allado-McDowell at FWB FEST 2024.

How will AI affect our sense of ourselves? K Allado-McDowell presents an overview of media's subjective effects, proposing that AI or "neural media" will change the nature of identity.

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THANK YOU TO OUR SEEN TOKEN PARTNERS

Refraction, LUKSO, Livepeer, Mesh, & Squid

We did Singapore with many a friend. Check out the party highlights.

CALL FOR PARTNERS AT SCOPE ART FAIR

FWB is partnering with SCOPE Art Show during Miami Art Week. We’re exploring the theme of interdependence and the power of collaboration. SCOPE is not just a venue for art but a dynamic ecosystem where gallerists, artists, collectors, curators, and enthusiasts converge, each playing a vital role in the collective experience. The focus of SCOPE’s large-scale installations will be on artworks that explore the interconnectedness of individuals, communities, and the wider world.

FWB is hosting the web3 hub for us to convene, trade ideas, put our toes in the beach, etc. We know that you probably haven’t sorted your Miami plans so we got you — if you are looking to do something impactful with all your frens, then come work with us and SCOPE. Reach out to us to scheme.

ADD CULTURE TO YOUR TECH STACK WITH FWB

Friends With Benefits is a new type of cultural institution driving the adoption of emerging tech. Forged on the internet, FWB is a group of 5,500+ global members with a combined, cross-channel audience of 100K+ cultural producers, emerging tech builders, and early adopters. We partner with infrastructure companies, consumer brands, protocols, and communities to build user adoption strategies, craft cultural positioning, and deploy product launches.

What We Do: 

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Our Edge:

• Solving the Cold Start Problem: Our crypto-native community are the right first adopters paired with a custom rollout plan to drive early traction.

• Beyond crypto: We help you break out of the web3 bubble, ensuring your product resonates with a broader audience.

• A Community of Culturalists: Partner with us to access a global network eager to bring your vision to life and drive cultural relevance.

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More Than A Social Network

FWB was founded as a new kind of social network. Four years later, our network has evolved to produce cultural go-to-market solutions leveraging our 5,500+ global membership and wider emerging tech ecosystem.