Dear Members of the Disquiet Junto,

This week’s project is inspired by a Nicholas Carr quote about social media (and more broadly about internet-based platforms) that was cited recently by the novelist Robin Sloan: “the essential content of social media is now the feeds produced by the platforms, not the individual messages posted by users.”

Carr and Sloan reminded me of many things, in particular an experience I had in an airport many years ago, watching someone flip through Reddit faster than I could at the time fully comprehend, and so I pushed back another project I had intended for this week. I was at JFK as I typed this all up, which made my airport memory all the more animated.

I’m heading home to San Francisco after some time in New York. A few folks did get in touch about getting together, but the cold and some work kept me from getting out. Sorry about that. I’ll reply directly as I wrestle my inbox to the ground.

And that covers it. Thanks, as always, for your generosity with your time, creativity, and curiosity.

Best from JFK as I type this, and from San Francisco when it goes out (automatically),

Marc Weidenbaum
marc@disquiet.com

. . .

Disquiet Junto Project 0736: Feed Me
The Assignment: Write a piece of music emulating the dopamine engine that is social media.

Step 1: The author Robin Sloan recently cited a comment by journalist Nicholas Carr about how “the essential content of social media is now the feeds produced by the platforms, not the individual messages posted by users.” The observation made me think of the first time I watched someone, waiting at an airport years ago, flipping rapidly through Reddit — a mode of blipvert-like media consumption ratcheted up later on TikTok and elsewhere. Consider this remark, especially in the context of your own experience.

Step 2: Record a piece of music inspired/informed by the insistent, swift, and often jumpy pace of social media consumption. Produce a piece of music consisting of brief bits of disparate sound that fly by just as soon as they’ve registered with the listener, and that encourage the listener to keep listening through vibrancy and momentum.

Background: You can read Sloan’s post here:

https://www.robinsloan.com/lab/feed-content/

Tasks Upon Completion:

Label: Include “disquiet0736” (no spaces/quotes) in the name of your track.

Upload: A person participating in the Disquiet Junto should post only one track per weekly project (SoundCloud account preferred but not required). If on occasion you feel inspired to post more than one track (whether to a single account or across multiple accounts), you should clarify which is the “main” rendition for consideration by fellow members and (if on SoundCloud) for inclusion in the SoundCloud playlist.

Share: Post your track and a description/explanation at https://llllllll.co/t/disquiet-junto-project-0736-feed-me/

Discuss: Listen to and comment on the other tracks.

Additional Details:

Length: The length is up to you. How long did you scroll?

Deadline: Monday, February 9, 2026, 11:59pm (that is: just before midnight) wherever you are.

About: https://disquiet.com/junto/

Newsletter: https://juntoletter.disquiet.com/

License: It’s preferred (but not required) to set your track as downloadable and allowing for attributed remixing (i.e., an attribution Creative Commons license).

Please Include When Posting Your Track:

More on the 736th weekly Disquiet Junto project, Feed Me — The Assignment: Write a piece of music emulating the dopamine engine that is social media. — at https://disquiet.com/0736/