(2022-02-08) Forte Case Study How The Second Brain Meme Is Going Mainstream

Tiago Forte: Case Study: How the Second Brain Meme is Going Mainstream. I recently encountered the very first mention of “second-brain apps” I’ve seen referenced in the mainstream media. An article entitled The Rise of the Tabulated Self: I Saw the Best Minds of my Generation Being Uploaded into “Second-Brain” Apps by Sophie Hagney was recommended by New York Magazine (2021-12-31-HaigneyTheRiseOfTheTabulatedSelf)

This article is a case study for answering the question: How do gatekeepers, tastemakers, influencers, and public intellectuals frame new ideas and introduce them to their audiences in ways that are understandable and attractive?

The sheer number and variety of interesting terms, metaphors, and cross-cultural connections found in just this piece provides a hint of the cultural tsunami to come.

Third, the piece is pervaded by a slightly skeptical lens

The subtitle of the piece says it all: “I saw the best minds of my generation being uploaded onto ‘second-brain’ apps.”

I was fascinated to see how Hagney used existing cultural trends to triangulate and define what second-brain apps are and what they’re for.

the energy and timeliness of this article at the intersection of many existing trends gives me tremendous hope that mainstream culture is ready to take on this new idea.