The Future of You
Tracey Follows
The Future of You is the home of Tracey Follows’ ongoing work on identity, agency, and the changing relationship between systems and selves in an AI-mediated world.This channel now brings together three strands of that work.The Future of You podcast explores how technology is reshaping identity, from digital selves and predictive systems to automation, intimacy, trust, and human futures.The Future of You audio series is the original 2021 book, released here chapter by chapter. It explores what Tracey came to call the technology of the self: a third dimension of identity, alongside the psychology of the self and the biology of the self. These recordings are presented as an audio archive of the original published text. Me:chine Dialogues is a special series from The Future of You exploring identity, agency, and AI-mediated systems — where the machinable and unmachinable selves meet. It follows the emerging synthetic condition shaping who we are becoming: not man versus machine, but the meeting of selves, the part that can be copied and the part that can never be caught. Together, these three strands trace an evolving inquiry into identity: from the digital self, to the technological self, to the Me:chine self.Across all of them runs one continuous question: what happens to human identity when the systems around us begin to see us, sort us, predict us, generate us, and increasingly speak in our name?Identity is becoming infrastructure for systems. This channel explores what remains of the self inside them.Core concepts include:Systems & SelfIdentity as InfrastructureThe Technology of the SelfMe:chine — the machinable and unmachinable selfNew here? Start with:→ Me:chine Dialogues: Manifesto→ The Future of You audio series: Chapter 1, Knowing You→ The Future of You podcast archiveVisit:→ Me:chine World and essays: me-chine.com→ Podcast archive: The Future of You→ Audio series: weekly chapters on this channel Introduction About Tracey FollowsTracey Follows is a futurist specialising in identity, agency, and the relationship between systems and selves in an AI-mediated world. Her work includes the frameworks Systems & Self, Identity as Infrastructure, and Me:chine, exploring the machinable and unmachinable dimensions of human identity.The Future of You was named Best Tech Show at the Independent Podcast Awards 2023.Her central premise: “The future is written between the system and the self.”Follow to receive each new transmission as it is released.AI-mediated systems - where the machinable and unmachinable selves meet.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Feb 23, 2022 • 51min
How Virtual Worlds Shape our Real Identities with Richard Bartle & David Birch #1
Richard Bartle, Co-Creator of MUD, and David Birch, FinTech expert, explore virtual identities, tokenization, the interplay between digital and physical worlds, and the difference between credentials and biometric identification in this captivating episode. They discuss how characters in virtual worlds differ from our real-world identity, the gamification of personalities on different platforms, and the potential impact of biometrics on identification. This thought-provoking conversation also touches on the exploration of gender in virtual worlds and the liberating and constraining aspects of gaming on individual identity.
Dec 22, 2021 • 3min
Welcome to "The Future of You" - Trailer
The podcast explores how emerging technologies are changing our identity in a digital world. Topics include multiple identities, the influence of technology on our sense of self, and the impact of emerging technologies on our identity.
