Hi, I’m Toby. I’m a researcher, writer, and technologist. I study how culture changes and how communities form, and technology's role in both. My work has been supported by Baukunst, Ethereum Foundation, Uniswap Foundation, and others.

Previously, I cofounded Other Internet, a 501(c)(3) non-profit research institute in the crypto space. We raised $1.1mm+ to coordinate open source protocol governance, design public goods funding programs, and study the cultural economy of blockchains.

My current research is focused on the question: what is the next generational paradigm in psychology? To understand this, I’m conducting embedded ethnographic research on wellness movements and spiritual communities, studying the history of Western psychology, and looking at changing notions of mental health. The home for this project is Care Culture.

This question has long term and short term considerations. The long term ones bring me very near to comparative religious studies. The short term ones center concerns such as improving health outcomes and care delivery today; this is where I'm currently putting my efforts.

For more background on my work, see here.

To get updates on new essays and audio content, subscribe to my newsletter.

To work with me as a consultant or researcher, see here.

Social Links:
X/Twitter: @tobyshorin
Farcaster: @toby
Are.na: Toby Shorin
Email: tobyshorin@gmail.com

I live in San Francisco, CA.

Latest Pieces

View archive

Favorite Essays

View all favorites

Current Project

What is the next generational paradigm in psychology?

To start answering this question, we need to examine the explosion of mental health concepts, wellness movements, and spiritual beliefs today. Behavioral therapies and IFS, longevity and transhumanist subcultures, psychedelics in the clinic and neoshamanism, and new philosophical academies are just a taste of the wide range of beliefs on offer.

In addition to the content of these groups' beliefs, we also need to study their structure: their social forms, authority structures, and ways of sustaining community. What contributions are psychologists and spiritual leaders making to new social forms that intrinsically heal, enlighten, and invigorate the social fabric? What new ways of fostering mental, spiritual, and social health are working well?

I’m looking at both of these area through ethnographic field research, historical deep dives, and classic Toby-style cultural analysis. I'm also thinking together with mental health professionals, spiritual innovators, and community leaders.

How do we translate this research into practical outcomes?

There are a number of ways to leverage this research to improve health outcomes. Currently I'm focused on helping create new health-focused community centers in the private and social sector.

How do I help or follow along?

Most of this work is happening at Care Culture, my new newsletter where I'm documenting my findings, and a private Telegram group for people interested in talking about this more regularly. If it sounds interesting, reach out!

About

My career has been a meandering one. I got my start with photoshop and illustrator in the heydays of gaming forums, and then leveled up to Android ROM flashing and designing apps in college. When I graduated I moved to New York and got a job as a product designer at a health tech company, then wound my way through various early-stage startups, freelance gigs, and creative communities in NYC. I co-organized entrepreneurial community Japan NYC Startups and helped run a few conferences.

During these years I started blogging at Subpixel Space. Then and now, my subject matter has always been culture, technology, aesthetics and spirituality. As I met more likeminded writer-technologists, I dreamed of a space for serious research and thinking outside the university. Eventually this led to co-founding Other Internet, a consulting-research-writing collective that evolved into a nonprofit research institute. I worked in the crypto space for several years, consulting for crypto organizations and leading Other Internet research projects.

Aside from serving as president, my personal work at Other Internet has focused on the new sorts of institutions enabled by protocols and cryptocurrency networks. We've funded and conducted research on many topics: from internet-native institutions and digital governance, to the lore and memory networks of online communities. We've sponsored art residencies and young thinkers, and prototyped alternative education models.

Wherever my career has taken me, it's because I've allowed my own curiosities to be in the driver's seat. I love ideas and philosophy and good discussion.

Other Projects

Along with Tom Critchlow, I'm one of the creators of Quotebacks, an open-source tool for web-native quoting and conversation. We're not so good at maintaining it, but it's one of my favorite projects.

Companions

Consulting

I work with founders and organizations, usually around cultural narrative and product strategy. I've worked extensively in the cryptocurrency space, am currently embedded in the mental health & wellness sector, and am generally very knowledgeable about cultural matters.

Projects usually happen when companies need to work on their narrative in some way, or engage creatively with an emerging technology problem. Many clients are going to market with a new product, repositioning, or making some other cultural strategy play.

I prefer working 1-on-1 work with founders, or a small group of org leaders. The work usually starts as an onboarding workshop followed by regular meetings where we do serious thinking, and chat communication in between, until we reach a clear decision/strategy/whatever output product are we're working towards.

Among others, I've worked with leaders at Variant Fund, USB Club, One Fact Foundation, Are.na, Gitcoin, Brud, Interchain Foundation, 0x Protocol, Propel, and Genesis. I'm also an angel investor in some great startups.