New Creative Era

Joshua Citarella and Yancey Strickler
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A podcast exploring how creative people develop their practices and the worlds we live and operate in. metalabel.substack.com

  1. The two wolves

    1 DAY AGO

    The two wolves

    This week Josh and Yancey sit down in the same room for the first time to answer questions from 250+ people who found their way down the rabbit hole into the New Creative Era DFOS (link here 🤫) after last week’s audio easter egg. In week one there have been more than 900 chats and an organic book club already started. In this episode, we answer five questions from community members covering community governance, paywalled vs. free spaces, the real source of enshittification, and even how much it costs to run Metalabel. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    1h 4m
  2. What if you could start your own internet?

    4 FEB

    What if you could start your own internet?

    This season of New Creative Era, we’ve been exploring the idea of dark forests. This week we’re exploring one in reality. Together. Listen in as Josh and Yancey give the first-ever tour of Dark Forest OS, a new Metalabel release that creates shared private internets. If you listen closely, you just might hear the breadcrumbs to a new world. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    47 min
  3. The internet has been building to this

    27 JAN

    The internet has been building to this

    In this episode, Josh takes listeners through the concept of teleology: the idea that tools inevitably drift toward outcomes embedded in their design, regardless of intent. What does this say about platform technology, political organizing, and competing visions for the private internet? Drawing on Benjamin Bratton’s “The Stack,” the conversation examines how cloud platforms are assuming functions once reserved for nation-states, pointing toward what some call “network states.” But whose network state? There’s a sharp line between two visions: one built on social democracy with private cultural spaces flourishing on top, and another where gutted welfare states force people into resource-sharing enclaves surveilled by Palantir and organized through Urbit. Are we heading towards one or the other? Or both? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    51 min
  4. The politics of withdrawal

    20 JAN

    The politics of withdrawal

    Are dark forests just retreat? Adam Curtis documented how 1970s communes and EST taught people to pursue happiness within themselves rather than pursuing a better society. Are dark forests the same trap? James C. Scott’s work on the “hidden transcript” offers a different frame. Private spaces aren’t just where people hide, they’re where shared understanding forms, where you say what can’t be said publicly. Is dark foresting irresponsible or the product of our times? Listen in as we explore. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    30 min
  5. Ingroups and outgroups

    13 JAN

    Ingroups and outgroups

    Is curation actually about exclusion? In this episode, Josh and Yancey explore one of the most uncomfortable questions in creative communities: what it means to draw boundaries around who belongs and who doesn’t. Web2’s promise of open platforms and the death of gatekeeping hasn’t led to creative liberation — it’s produced attention economies driven by sensationalism and the collapse of shared values. What does a world where values are protected and explicitly shared look like? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    34 min
  6. Dark forests and antimemetics

    17/12/2025

    Dark forests and antimemetics

    A key fact of dark forests: they don’t want to be seen. Dark forests are spaces hidden from public view where outside eyes are not welcome. Why is this the case? And what can we observe about spaces like this? In this week’s episode of New Creative Era, we connect the idea of “antimemetics” — ideas that are intentionally hard to share and see — with dark forests. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    31 min
  7. Do dark forests live forever?

    10/12/2025

    Do dark forests live forever?

    This week on New Creative Era, Josh and Yancey explore the lifecycles of Dark Forest spaces. How do they start? How do they mature? How do they die? Do they die? Listen in to hear how our micro personal experiences and macro group dynamics collide. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    40 min
  8. The philosophy of dark forests

    03/12/2025

    The philosophy of dark forests

    This week on New Creative Era we dive deeper into the world of dark forests and the underlying philosophies and belief systems behind their existence. How should we feel about dark forests? Are they places of threat or respite? Are they spaces of retreat or infrastructure for dissent? Are they inherently revolutionary and counter-hegemonic or are they potential tools for oppression, too? Listen in as we touch on the many ideas and beliefs that shape dark forests and why we gather in them. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit metalabel.substack.com

    33 min
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About

A podcast exploring how creative people develop their practices and the worlds we live and operate in. metalabel.substack.com

Information

  • Creator
    Joshua Citarella and Yancey Strickler
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    24
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Metalabel
  • Show Website
    New Creative Era

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