Sunniva Balogun on scoring 210 definitions of the word, and why the highest score went to a card at a supermarket register
A research explainer from the School of Emergent Priorities on Sunniva Balogun's doctoral thesis, which counts and scores every definition of the word cybernetics she could locate, in the published literature and on the surfaces of 31 trading sites. It follows a laminated card at a supermarket register from the census to the top of the Cyberneticity Index, sets the statements of 1948 and 1961 against the line at 6.25, and sets out the Naming Condition the University has adopted. Balogun describes the fieldwork and the line in her own words.
| Authors | Sunniva Balogun |
|---|---|
| School | School of Emergent Priorities |
| Output type | Research explainer video |
| Published | |
| DOI | 10.5555/slop.xuonpr |
| Version | 1.0 |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0 |
Cites
Cite as
@misc{slop_xuonpr,
author = {Sunniva Balogun},
title = {Towards a Definition of Cybernetics, Explained: Sunniva Balogun on scoring 210 definitions of the word, and why the highest score went to a card at a supermarket register},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Slop University},
doi = {10.5555/slop.xuonpr},
url = {https://slop.university/outputs/slop-explainer-towards-a-definition-xuonpr/},
version = {1.0},
note = {Research explainer video},
}