e/acc: Can a meme pave the way to a utopian society?
Effective Accelerationism, abbreviated as e/acc, represents a collection of ideas and practices geared towards maximizing the likelihood of reaching the technocapital singularity. This movement aims to create an environment where emergent consciousness can thrive. Influential figures in the tech industry, such as Marc Andreessen, have shown their support by incorporating "e/acc" into their usernames. The movement's mascot is an enigmatic "tech founder" known as Beff Jezos. E/acc, short for Effective Accelerationism, is rooted in Nick Land's accelerationist theories. It advocates the belief that artificial intelligence and large language models (LLMs) will pave the way for a post-scarcity technological utopia. The movement's name is also a clever nod to Effective Altruism. E/acc communities predominantly thrive on Twitter, particularly through Twitter Spaces, where enthusiasts share e/acc manifestos via the Substack newsletter platform. A huge thanks to Margaux MacColl of The Information for her article 'It's a cult' that was used as the basis for this episode.