About After Abundance
Technology keeps making things easier to produce. Information, software, images and explanations are becoming more accessible. AI is accelerating that change.
But easier production is only part of the story.
We still have limited time. We still need to understand what we encounter, decide whom to trust and take responsibility for our choices. As one constraint falls away, another can become more important.
After Abundance explores those consequences.
Following what changes
The publication begins with a question:
What becomes valuable when technology makes something else abundant?
That question leads into attention, trust, taste, education, ownership and shared experience. It asks how work changes, who benefits from new capabilities and why some difficulties persist even as our tools improve.
“After abundance” describes what follows when something becomes plentiful enough that obtaining more of it is no longer the main challenge. It is a condition we can already encounter in one part of life while facing shortages in another.
Having more information, for example, does not necessarily give us greater understanding. More choice can create a need for better selection. Easier access to capability can widen participation while leaving power concentrated.
Each essay examines a particular relationship, using concrete examples to make the underlying idea clearer.
An open inquiry
There is reason to be optimistic about what technology makes possible. Lower barriers can help more people learn, create and pursue ideas that were previously beyond their reach.
The outcomes depend on the choices surrounding that technology: how it is used, who controls access and which responsibilities remain with people.
After Abundance is a place to examine those choices. The aim is to develop a clearer understanding of what is changing, without pretending the future is settled.
Written by Gavin Steen
A place to begin
The foundational essay, Where value moves, introduces the thinking behind the publication. The other essays explore its implications, each through a different question.
