We're excited to share that we're officially launching the Hype Studies series at Tech Policy Press: a year-long exploration of how hype shapes technology, society, and power, edited by Andreu Belsunces and Jascha Bareis.
The first piece is now live. Written by Andreu, it examines how venture capital has a structural need for hype, and how their increasing influence is reshaping not only the way technopolitics are enforced, but how our experience of time is transformed.
Why Hype Studies?
Technology hype is a powerful force that influences everything from investment decisions to military strategy, from labor practices to democratic processes. Understanding how hype operates is crucial for anyone trying to make sense of our tech-driven world –specially in a context of the virulent AI hype, post-truth and geopolitical turmoil.
This series brings together diverse perspectives from scholars, activists, and researchers across multiple disciplines to interrogate hype from every angle: its role in finance, warfare, democracy, regulation, labor exploitation, and more.
The Year Ahead
Over the next twelve months, we'll publish monthly essays exploring different dimensions of tech hype:
December 2025 - Venture Capital and Hype — Andreu Belsunces
January 2026 - Hype and Military Tech-Disruption — Elke Schwarz
February 2026 - The Role of Hype in the Crisis of Democracy — Jascha Bareis
March 2026 - Tech Hype, Human Labour & Neocolonial Clickwork — Marché Arends & Kathryn Cleary
April 2026 - The Role of Hype in AI Regulation — Hannah Ruschemeier
May 2026 - Hype, Financialisation and Paranoia — Fabian Muniesa
June 2026 - Discriminatory Hype in the AI Industry — Eugenia Stamboliev
July 2026 - Doomshype Around Catastrophic AI — Jack Stilgoe
August 2026 - Hype, Games and the Ecstatic Experience — Max Haiven
September 2026 - Hype and Technologies of Speculation — Sun-ha Hong
October 2026 - Topic to be confirmed — Emily Bender & Alex Hanna
November 2026 - Disrupt & Be Bold: Bro Culture & Hype — Julie Freire Marques
December 2026 - (After the) Hype – India as the Global AI Garage and Leaky Bucket — Vardaan Nayar
Join the Conversation
We believe these critical conversations need to reach as wide an audience as possible. If you're interested in translating any pieces in this series, or if you know venues that might want to collaborate with us on translations, please get in touch.
We're grateful to all the contributors who have committed their expertise, time, and insights to this project. We hope the series sparks meaningful conversations about the role of hype in shaping our technological future—and what we can do about it.
Stay tuned for monthly installments, and feel free to reach out with questions, ideas, or feedback.
