# NETWORKED REALISM: Whoever Controls the Infrastructure, Controls Reality

Source: https://theblockchainsocialist.com/networked-realism-whoever-controls-the-infrastructure-controls-reality
Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/NETWORKED-REALISM-Whoever-Controls-the-Infrastructure-Controls-Reality?index=0x68b217973b7b53f846086195a8562ce95c099dfafb4f83a8446864ae950f0ade0304f3e0
Submitted by misha on 2025-08-29 UTC, 2 upvotes, 0 comments

## Summary

This podcast episode features Nick Houde and Severin Matusek of co-matter, a Berlin research and strategy studio, discussing their 35-page research memo "New World Order: The Return of Hard Power and Soft Beliefs." The memo is described as an analysis of what happens when power, infrastructure and ideology collide, and it includes quotes such as "Yesterday's moral stance is tomorrow's liability" and "Whoever controls the infrastructure controls reality itself." The host says the memo is a manual for making sense of the present and that he has already bought a copy, which can be ordered through Metalabel.

## Article

It’s feeling like we’re living in a very strange moment in time where liberal norms of openness have been shattered by the same class of tech industry titans who expressed these values just a decade ago. In this episode I spoke to Nick Houde and Severin Matusek from co-matter, a research and strategy studio based in Berlin, who recently published an incredible memo that is chock full of incredible analysis and insight into our current moment.

“New World Order: The Return of Hard Power and Soft Beliefs is a 35-page research memo about what happens when power, infrastructure and ideology collide.

A manual for anyone trying to make sense of the present, New World Order contains ideas, context and language to participate in shaping the world that emerges in front of our eyes.”

The memo is chock full of useful and powerful concepts that help explain this moment. You can order a copy of the memo on Metalabel here. (I’ve already got my copy!) Lots of great quotes like “Yesterday’s moral stance is tomorrow’s liability” and “Whoever controls the infrastructure controls reality itself.”

This episode is sponsored by NYM, the world’s most private VPN. Unlike traditional VPNs, Nym uses a decentralized mixnet to scramble your internet data — hiding who you’re talking to, when, and how often. You can switch between full mixnet mode for maximum anonymity, or a faster VPN mode for everyday use.

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