Q: ZINE?
A: ZINE is a personal, sporadic and Webby-Winning publication analyzing overlooked cultural trends, technology and our media through a curious, social science lens. Read millions of times across +140 countries, ZINE offers explanation for the emergent.
ZINE is inspired by the DIY spirit of early fan-zines, small-circulation, self-published passion projects revolving around cultural phenomena. Zines have come to symbolize grassroots publishing, prioritizing passionate knowledge sharing... which is what ZINE seeks to promote. Zines shaped the zeitgeist as much as they commented on them, providing community and deep understanding of the niche.
My favorite analyses:
Over the years, ZINE has evolved from pieces to projects:
An interview series with inspirations including Douglas Rushkoff, Rory Sutherland & Seth Godin
The META Trend Report: an annual meta-analysis of +300 industry forecasts, coming to life as workshops
Audience Capture: a limited printed zine exploring the dangerous dynamics of audiences on creators
The Tiny Awards: honors for projects embodying a cozy web
Understanding Media: a seminar series, analyzing seminal texts in media theory
Q: Klein?
A: Hey, I’m Matt Klein, a cultural theorist and strategist.
With a decade of experience in trend forecasting, innovation, and strategic communications, I partner with brands, the UN, investors, philanthropies, and the press to provide provocative, alternative explanations of the zeitgeist and author future-proofing strategies. I’m also currently the Head of Global Foresight at Reddit, Resident Futurist with Hannah Grey Ventures, and Partner to The Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies.
I’ve advised The Met to McDonald’s, and decoded the cultural implications of fandom for the NBA, GLP-1s for Novo Nordisk, mental health crisis for UNICEF, and Gen AI for Google. I’ve given a talk about the rise of hentai in a monastery, warned against sacrificing creativity integrity on SXSW’s Main Stage, and traveled the world unpacking our social shifts.
Q: Why Subscribe?
A: ZINE provides cutting cultural intel relied upon by academics, government officials, founders, and execs at the most culturally-resonant brands around the world.
Like them, you’ll dig ZINE if you’re curious about our future and want to understand hidden forces driving human behavior at scale.
ZINE will equip you with a unique POV of culture, and help you create more strategic ideas, brands, campaigns, products, and businesses... or simply, to just understand our moment.
