#036 - Jackson Dahl on Compulsion, Futurism, Art, Curators, & Community
Sep 27, 2023
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Venture capitalist Jackson Dahl discusses compulsion, futurism, art, curators, and community. Topics include pursuing deep relationships, exploring vs. exploiting, preserving optionality, navigating accelerating change, outsourcing thinking, optimizing internet friendships, incentivizing art creation, and the beauty of film.
Building deep relationships with admired individuals, oscillating between interest areas, and finding unfair advantages.
Navigating constant change with openness, resisting the temptation to outsource understanding, and engaging in challenging discussions.
Balancing curated content with personal exploration, fostering open-mindedness and thoughtful discussions to navigate societal divisions.
Deep dives
The Search for Compulsion and Building World-Class Teams
The podcast episode explores the importance of finding one's passion and compulsion in life. It discusses how curiosity and interest in specific people played a role in joining world-class teams. The speaker emphasizes the significance of seeking opportunities where the deck is stacked in one's favor and the importance of unfair advantages. Additionally, it touches on the idea of oscillating between different interest areas and the challenge of reconciling and integrating diverse skills and interests.
Embracing Constant Change and Navigating Uncertainty
The episode highlights the need to develop skills to navigate constant dramatic change in a rapidly evolving world. It emphasizes the importance of fostering openness, staying curious, and resisting the temptation to outsource understanding. The speaker encourages facing uncertainty and engaging in discussions, even with loved ones, to challenge and explore beliefs. The need to find a balance between the comfort of curated content and actively seeking diverse perspectives is also discussed.
The Challenges of Increasing Tribalism and Changing Belief Systems
The episode delves into the societal challenges arising from increasing tribalism and the impact of technology on belief systems. It explores the potential consequences of technology-driven change, highlighting the growing divide between those who delegate understanding and those who actively think for themselves. The speaker suggests the need for a balance between curated content and personal exploration of beliefs, fostering open-mindedness and disagreement, and promoting thoughtful discussions to navigate these societal divisions.
Parasocial Relationships and Their Impact on Society
The episode touches on the phenomenon of parasocial relationships and debates their influence on society. The speaker raises questions about the healthy and unhealthy aspects of these relationships, noting the potential ethical and moral implications. While acknowledging the complexities surrounding the topic, it emphasizes the need to approach parasocial relationships with caution and consider their impact on individuals and society at large.
Importance of Proximity and Depth in Relationships
The speaker highlights the significance of both proximity and depth in relationships. While depth allows for intimate connections, proximity plays a crucial role in facilitating regular interactions and strengthening bonds. The speaker emphasizes that relationships are not just about sharing profound moments but also about the 'idle time' spent together, engaging in banter and casual conversations. They suggest that intentionally designing spaces and opportunities for proximity to occur, both in the digital and physical world, can help bridge the gap between internet relationships and in-person connections.
Patronage and Encouraging Artistic Expression
The podcast episode explores the role of patronage in supporting art and creativity. The speaker mentions the potential of cryptocurrency and NFTs to facilitate patronage and provenance, allowing artists to be financially supported by those who appreciate their work. They also discuss the need for creating platforms and tools that encourage more people to embrace their artistic side, regardless of the form it takes. The speaker highlights the importance of finding mediums that resonate with individuals, leveraging technology advancements, and designing environments that promote creativity and artistic expression.
Jackson Dahl is a venture capitalist and was on the founding team of esports company 100 Thieves. We talk about finding your compulsion, oscillating between interest areas, navigating accelerating technological change, the relationships between creators and audiences, building community online and in-person, and art and creativity.
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(00:50) Identifying & getting the attention of world-class people: pursue deep relationships with people you admire
(05:55) Operating vs. investing; exploring vs. exploiting
(08:49) Are you running towards or away from something?
(12:15) Criteria & considerations for what's next; the rubber must meet the road
(16:02) What is the core meme he wants people to think of when they think of “Jackson”
(22:36) Pulled in two directions; preserving optionality & finding your edge by combining interests
(27:06) What does he want to be closest to #1 in the world at?
(29:46) Change is accelerating & how to navigate it; maintaining openness
(39:46) Curators and audiences; outsourcing thinking
(50:49) Moving agency on the margins
(53:28) Are parasocial relationships healthy?
(01:03:20) How to optimally use the internet for friendships & extending those into the real, physical world; proximity is undervalued
(01:10:33) Incentivizing the creation of more art; impact of AI on art
(01:17:02) The beauty of film
(01:21:49) Jackson’s final question for listeners
