Labubu & the Brain Rot Economy

Labubu & the Brain Rot Economy

Author: Sascha Funk August 27, 2025 Duration: 16:57

Meet Labubu — the gremlin plush that proves memes don’t just rot your brain online, they move into your bedroom. This episode unpacks how absurd internet culture mutates into physical commodities, from Beanie Babies to Squishmallows to Labubu hype drops. Along the way: Haraway’s cyborg manifesto, Baudrillard’s hyperreality, and Marx’s commodity fetishism. Late capitalism: now available in cuddly, limited-edition form.


In a world saturated with constant notifications and algorithmic feeds, FUNK !T | Mindful Media & Communication offers a necessary pause. Hosted by Sascha Funk, who leads the media studies department at Thammasat University, this podcast is a deep and practical exploration of our daily interactions with technology and information. Each episode moves beyond surface-level tips to examine the underlying structures of our media environment, asking how we can engage with it more consciously. You’ll find conversations that dissect digital trends not just for their novelty, but for their real psychological and social impact. The discussions here are about building resilience and intention-whether that means refining how you communicate professionally, understanding the design of the platforms you use, or simply finding more agency in your personal scrolling habits. This isn't about rejecting technology, but about developing a sustainable and critical relationship with it. Sascha brings academic insight into accessible, actionable territory, making the complex dynamics of media feel relevant to your everyday life. For anyone feeling adrift in the digital noise or curious about the forces shaping our modern conversations, this podcast provides both a compass and a toolkit. It’s a space for learning how to be present and purposeful in a mediated world, one thoughtful discussion at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

FUNK !T | Mindful Media & Communication
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