At the intersection of culture, technology, and human cognition lies a framework for understanding the subtle architectures governing contemporary existence ...
Polarization emerges not merely from misinformation or malice, but from foundational structures of signification itself.
René Magritte’s iconic pipe, inscribed with “This is not a pipe,” exemplifies the treachery invoked in the title: a perpetual disjuncture between signifier and signified.
The crux resides in signs’ inherent underdetermination of interpretation. They resemble fragmentary mosaics, completed through contextual priors. In diverse societies, this fosters innovation. Algorithmic curation, however, transforms these interstices into abyssal rifts. Linguistic anthropology, crediting Paul Kockelman’s 2024 framework on semiotic agency, elucidates indexicality (signs’ tethering to social milieus) and enregisterment (their aggregation into typified forms). “Defund the police” may connote reform for one group, lawlessness for another, with divergences accruing in segregated enclaves.
spacebacon•2h ago