It is time to start questioning YOUR algorithms
To reach means to RISK OURSELVES AIMING FOR something beyond ourselves, but also HOW WE arrive there.
many mouths, one voice
The murmuration is a human collaboration project, the desired outcome of which, is the fostering of engagement and discernment in the service of connection and meaning making, to defy the cold impersonal mechanisms of control and attention capture which we have normalised, in order to enrich the landscape of human potential in the face of a growing existential crisis. The core and guiding principle is reaching – MANY HEARTS OF ONE SOUL.
LET'S BEGIN
The Murmuration is an idea. In the same way that a single bird can change the movement of an entire flock in a harmonious organic way, a single idea can ignite the imagination of a handful of people, and those handful, can shift the direction and vector of an entire population. There are many projects being incubated, but the first one is about how we make our Wills felt, but doing our part to push against the downward drag of how social media algorithms and marketing forces would leach soul out of everything, robbing us of beauty and connection -everything we define meaning from.
This is a guide to explain the short term project, and how you can help. (see Definitions)
The initial project is striving to redefine what engagement and connection mean in an age where marketing tactics and social media have twisted them into something unrecognizable. The goal is to restore depth and authenticity to our interactions, enabling us to find genuine meaning in a world that often feels broken. By rallying together, we aim to tap into the neglected potential of humanity, offering a leading light of courage and conviction amid our shared existential challenges. Our fundamental principle? It’s all about reaching out towards each other.
Bold baby steps.
Pressing organic fruit yields nutrients and essential oils from the fruit. In this way our food is nourishment and equal to medicine; it can both heal us and replenish us. But this takes time and effort. So they make artificial syrups and sell it for cheap enough to outcompete the makers of nutritive products. And then when they cannot get you to buy enough to satisfy their bottomless greed, they add sweeteners and synthetic colourants and artificial flavours to make you consume more than you need. Enough is not an amount, it is a decision. True need can always find enough. Wanting, always wants more.
They are addicted to our addiction.
This is what is being done to art, wisdom, guidance and beauty on social media, until all soul has been leached out of the platform and all soul leached out of us.
Soul feeds soul.
YOU have to meet the creatives and Generators half-way. Where is your defiance? Where is your rebellious spirit. Don’t go out like this. Lean in. Make your Will known by making your Will felt.
Soul is everything. The price of it, is defiance. The wages are discernment and appreciation. The more we exercise our discernment and appreciation, the more we grow in this capacity: this is how a Soul grows. Your soul is depreciating and we are depreciating the meaning from creative and inspirational work through our endemic lack of discernment.
Deeper appreciation can open the door to deeper enjoyment, but enjoyment for enjoyment’s sake, enjoyment without a sense of discernment, always and only ever, wants more.
YOU HAVE TO CARE FIRST
Every rule about campaigns and garnering support will tell you, you have to make people care. And that’s the problem. The people who are trying to share their gifts with the world are trying to reach YOU, to make you care. They have to not only be experts in their own field and gifts, and experts in marketing, they also have to come up with ALL the answers as to how to reach you in a landscape that does not value their message or their efforts, and they have to sell their soul a little to play the sick game of this synthetic form of attention and connection we call ‘marketing‘, and the soul-dead algorithms of social media.
We expect them to catch the disease to help save us from ours and we leave them to do all the work. They are pouring their souls out and they are on a hiding to nothing. There is nothing more they can do. There is nothing more they should do.
We need to meet them half-way. We need to start taking some of the ownership. We need take back our power by making our wills felt.
We kept looking for this moment when mind-blowing artificial intelligence would supersede human strengths and intelligence and missed the earlier moment that already came; where very mind-numbing technology is undermining our human weaknesses. And is taking everything from you that matters: beauty and connection – which is precisely where we derive meaning.
It is time to start questioning your algorithms.
It is time to ask yourself what the world will look like when the cogs and tumblers, of machines that never sleep, have ushered all eyes and ears towards the pedlars of mass produced baubles and cheap shiny tack and away from the deeper wells, that touch our souls and nourish us.
THE MURMURATION IS AN IDEA FOUNDED ON THE PRINCIPLE THAT TO MOVE PEOPLE TOWARDS HEART, YOU HAVE TO BEGIN IN THE HEART, AND TO MOVE AN ENTIRE POPULATION YOU DO NOT NEED A MAJORITY OF PERCENTAGE, YOU NEED A SMALL DISCERNING CRITICAL MASS, MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, MANY MOUTHS SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE.
WHAT IS THE PLAN?
It might be a bit early to tell exactly what is going to unfold, and that has to depend on the amount of goodwill that shows up, but the intention is to create a collaborative video and supporting social media campaign. The video will artfully explain our problem to create and ripple out awareness, to encourage ownership and change of behaviour, and to show what a group aligned people acting from love can do – The Murmuration in Action:
Right now, the core team is still forming but once we get going the first movement is expected to be creating the initial script, video, music, collaterals for various platforms (posts, shorts etc.) and then a coordinated release into the wild.
We are aiming to raise awareness, and to relay a powerful signal: calls to action for Creatives, for Artists, for Teachers, for Coaches, anyone who is sincerely aligned with their soul’s purpose in the world and is trying to make a living from sharing their gifts with the world.
We are aiming to empower the entire flock of humanity by reaching a few bright souls, to encourage them to make their Wills known, by making their Wills felt.
CLICK THE DIAGRAMS BELOW TO EXPAND
WHAT CAN I DO?
The shortest path to any solution is underwritten by Self-Ownership. Everything else is form of apathy.
Everyone can do something.
Do your part. That is all.
If it is a great part, do it with grace. If it a smaller part, do it greatly.
This is the essence of belonging.
We shy away from leadership because we think it means duty and sacrifice, actually it just means doing your part from love. Get curious, be imaginative, try and understand how your participation can make a meaningful difference. Ask yourself, what does love look like right now?
If you have questions, check out the FAQ
Acceptance Criteria:
- Platform i.e. Podcast / Social Media with > 5,000 followers
- I am aligned, I believe what I am doing adds real value to the world. I am not just all about the likes.
- I am prepared to put the message first and my brand / ego second.
- I don’t need convincing.
How I can help:
- Apply via THIS FORM
- Once you are sure you align and understand with the intention, start talking about this initiative on your platform, send others here.
Acceptance Criteria:
- I am trying to share my gifts with the world.
- My work is not derivative.
- I want to connect with my community, I care about appreciation, not just foot traffic.
- I am prepared to record a short video, reading a script or ad-libbing my own version of the core message I am given.
- I care about meaning, connection & beauty.
How I can help:
- Apply via THIS FORM:
- Stay tuned, we will check your application and reach out.
Acceptance Criteria:
- I have coding / design / video editing / crowdfunding / communication skills.
- I can work agile off a kanban board or I am willing to learn.
- I have time to devote, if I take something on, I will either see it through or I will call out blockers.
- I don’t need convincing.
How I can help:
- Apply via THIS FORM
- Stay tuned, we will check your application and reach out.
Acceptance Criteria:
- This feels right to me.
- I am willing to walk the walk in my interactions and efforts online.
- I am willing to share this ideal and initiative in my own way in my own voice.
How I can help:
- Add your name to the pledge via THIS FORM:
- Consider pledging support via substack: themurmurationmovement.substack.com/
- Consider pledging financial support (custom pledge) via the button below:
To reach means to RISK OURSELVES AIMING FOR something beyond ourselves, but also HOW WE arrive there.
OUR PLEDGE
This is not exactly a charity, nor a not-for-profit but its not here to predate on the goodwill of supporters either. It is fully expected that The Murmuration is run like a business, and the sole intention is to invest all available resources and support into the projects (we hope there will be many), because nothing is deemed more important than the project.
That said, our pledge is to professionalize as sustainably as we can, and be as transparent as is appropriate to each level of contribution we receive. This project does not exist to enrich any people or entities for any level of self-gain or any other motive than the one that is loudly stated above.
We aren’t fucking around here.
Rocco & Team
To be a leader is to understand
that doing something imperfectly
with the right intent;
a willingness to take on feedback
and commitment to improve,
requires no time to get started
and no barriers to starting.
it should also require no permission
and carry no risk of blame
if mistakes are made.
Actualisation is the leadership of self.
TLDR
- Algorithms have silently exploited our weaknesses, steering us towards superficial content and away from the true beauty and connection that gives our lives meaning; thus, it’s crucial to question these guiding systems and apply our human intelligence to navigate the digital labyrinth. It’s high time we meet the creators halfway, actively seeking out the deep, soul-nourishing wells of content in a world increasingly dominated by cheap, mass-produced distractions.
- In the pursuit of purpose and meaning, the need for quality and essence overshadows the shallow dopamine-driven satisfaction of quantity that social media platforms exploit, as they profit off of our addictive tendencies rather than fostering genuine appreciation.
- The individuals who generate thought-provoking and creative content, termed as ‘Generators’, are struggling in a landscape where social media companies use algorithms to feed users with low-value content for maximum profit, creating an environment devoid of reflection and true engagement. This situation is compared to the food industry where artificial, cheap, and over-processed products often outcompete nourishing organic ones, mirroring how digital platforms can be driven by insatiable greed rather than user satisfaction. The escalating cycle of artificial engagement and connection exploits our innate addictive tendencies, reflecting a dystopian reality where our attention is the commodity.
DEFINITIONS
MURMURATIONS
A murmuration is the phenomenon we witness in starlings, and other socials birds, insects and fish, which move together in a mesmerizing dance somewhere between form and flow. The trick to how this works is that each individual subscribes to a lived expression of the golden rule: “do unto others…”; each individual moves within the framework of the heuristic which simply says “
– do not crash into the others around you,
– do not veer to far away from the others around you, and
– be aware of the ambient vector of movement.
This is the true essence of Belonging.
When one starling veers an inch to catch a gnat on the wing, the dozen birds around it adjust to accommodate, and the hundred birds around them flow accordingly and the whole murmuration undulates, shrinking and expanding, breathing in harmony, in harmony with each other and with the world they are swimming in.
Murmurations are not unlike the crystallization process, the sudden cascade of avalanches, the magnetization of metals, or the phase transition of liquids into gases. These systems exist on the event horizon; always primed for a profound organic metamorphosis at every moment.
This, not algorithms or the shams of marketing and democracy we have normalized, is how we ‘move’ people, organically, in harmony.
TO REACH
Reaching implies investment of effort, the risking of one’s time, energy and attention in the attainment of something we value.
Reaching implies Tolerance. If curiosity is the father of discovery and growth, tolerance is it’s mother.
GET IN TOUCH
We recognize that our vision is ambitious and that it cannot be accomplished alone. As such, we are making our appeal to a diverse spectrum of contributors to collaborate in realizing the vision.
We are looking for Patrons (financial, intellectual and social capital).
We are inviting doers, writers, thinkers, and philosophers with significant media platforms to collaborate in framing, organizing, and executing a shared and growing vision.
The project aims to bring together a diverse range of voices and perspectives, united by a common value, and a common goal of developing solutions that prioritize the primary intention and complimentary approaches. The Murmuration seeks to amplify this message to attract aligned patrons and engage a wider discerning audience.
If you believe you can be of service please get in touch.
SUPPORT THE PROJECT
We are in the process of birthing this project into the world and need all the help we can get.
Currently this is being run by the founder(s), an ordinary guy with a very ordinary budget.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)
We will keep updating these as the questions keep rolling in.
What is the project actually doing?
Well, it might be a bit early to tell exactly what is going to unfold, and that depends on the amount of goodwill that shows up, but the intention is to create a collaborative video and supporting social media campaign. The video will artfully explain our problem to create and ripple out awareness, to encourage ownership and change of behaviour, and to show what a group aligned people acting from love can do. Click the link on the right to see the current plan.
Why is there a limit of 5k Followers for Platform owners?
The idea is that if anyone identifies more as ‘having a platform’ rather than being a Creative / Guide or provider of service we cannot really help each other. Ultimately if we make an impact, everyone wins, truly, but up front, our heart is with the greatest need, and that is the people who are trying to get their messaging and gifts out into the world. The platform owners with significant platforms are here to serve the project.
If you have a question or suggestion that is not addressed here, let us know via the contact form below.
A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER
“What would I want / What does Love look like right now?”
– This is my answer to that question.
I decided that despite the fact that I did not know how I was going to get the appropriate level of attention and support, the situation is so dire, I could not sit idly and wait for someone else to come. I also realized the degree to which prevailing intuitions are flawed. The popular or default assumptions are that the next election cycle or the next messianic billionaire or celebrity are the gateways to meaningful and effective solutions. They are simply not equipped or incentivized to lead the level of conversation that is required.
Our leaders, be they political, corporate or intellectual, either lack the focus or lack the maturity to pursue solutions that are capable of protecting us from ourselves or the trouble we have crafted for ourselves. Our political intuitions, our systems and ‘isms’, are simply not flexible or noble enough or the mitigate the implications of the rising storm.
We do not know how to solve the whole problem, but we know it is not going to be via politics and arguing, or via a personality cult. There are too many deep concerns for our environment, our children, our future to look away any longer and simply hope. All our darlings of western thought are too slow and too broken, and the majority of people too self-unaware and too immature to care enough.
The ship of humanity is heading for the proverbial iceberg, there is too much momentum to slow down, not enough consensus to steer the ship, and we do not have a mature plan for survival or rescue.
The only cure for apathy is discomfort and we are all about to discover what this really means. This project feels like the only sane response right now.
Please help!
Rocco & Team.
ABOUT ROCCO
Rocco is a former analyst, consultant and leader specializing in corporate technology delivery, transformation and data analytics. Rocco is a neurodivergent auto-didactic polymath with an uncanny skill for diagnosing and describing the human psyche at both the personal and societal level. He is a poet, a writer and an aredent advocate for the human capacity for conscious self-directed evolution and actualization which he has developed via an established practice helping clients integrate the modality of psychological self-repair.
“Foremost, above all, I am a husband, and a father, and I want to make sure that when my wife and my child look me in the eye one day and say “what did you do?”, I want my answer to be, “Whatever it took!””
Rocco lives in Western Australia with his wife and their 2 year old daughter. They are still looking very earnestly, for their people.
ABOUT LUKE
TBC
