As an introduction I'd like to start by saying... I strongly advise you read it until the end - even though it feels abstract in the beginning, the illustration on my 6th point will help you grab the concept very well.
This is, as usual, a deep reflection into: power, society, influence.
And today, I'm trying to bring to the table a framework to understand power as a fluid.
Let's start! 👇🏻
We live with a comforting illusion: that society’s core sectors - science, academia, politics, industry, media, luxury, and culture - are independent worlds.
Each governed by its own rules, codes, and goals.
This compartmentalization simplifies our perception of power and reality, giving us a sense of clarity and order.
Yet, this segmentation is deceptive.
The truth is none of these sectors exist in isolation.
Beneath the separations lies an interconnected ecosystem: a web of influence that operates in what I often call "the grey zone".
1. The myth of "sector neutrality"
Each societal sphere claims its own form of legitimacy:
- Science: objective, neutral, truth-driven.
- Academia: free and rational debate, unbiased research.
- Politics: expression of the public good.
- Industry: engine of innovation and economic growth.
- Media: guardians of transparency and truth.
- Luxury & Culture: spaces of creativity, aesthetic value, and freedom.
But this portrayal is simplistic, even naive.
None of these spheres exist purely or independently: each is deeply influenced by external forces and internal agendas.
To believe otherwise is to misunderstand how power operates.
2. The reality of interconnection
All societal sectors are connected by channels of influence, shaping and reshaping each other continually:
Science depends on funding from industry and politics, creating subtle biases.
(e.g., pharmaceutical companies funding studies that align with profitable outcomes.)
Academia generates influential ideologies and frameworks, shaping politics, policy-making, and public discourse. (e.g., woke ideology emerging from university departments and subsequently influencing legislation and media narratives.)
Media amplify, distort, or silence scientific research, academic debates, or political agendas based on economic interests or ideological leanings.
Industry strategically funds science, influences politics through lobbying, and manipulates media narratives to sustain profitability and market control.
Luxury and culture shape public desire and societal aspirations, drawing from psychology (science), manipulating perception through media, and influencing institutional prestige via academia (art foundations, museums, and cultural sponsorship).
Understanding society means understanding these hidden pathways of influence.
3. The fluidity of power: a dynamic model
To accurately conceptualize this complexity, let's look at it this way: power as a fluid. Constantly moving, changing form, and redistributing itself across sectors.
In this model there are: