SXSW is always looking forward. Trying to keep up with the latest tech, art, and culture trends can be exhausting. What’s worse, if you’re not on the bleeding edge of language, what chance do you have of understanding the folks behind complex concepts swirling around the Festival? Luckily we’ve pored over the many (so many!) SXSW panels and their descriptions looking for terms you may not be familiar with … yet. Time to catch up with the future.
Super Apps – If your phone isn’t distracting you from living your best life, just imagine one app that manages pretty much everything, including you.
Colonial Algorithms – Basically Caucasian Twitter acting like they know what’s good for the whole internet. Spoiler, it sucks.
Unhappiness Era – We hate to ruin it for you, but that’s now! Time to jump on the bandwagon and sulk with us.
Quantum Computing – No one knows what this is. Literally, no one.
JOMO – What so many Austinites feel as they watch videos of be-badged throngs searching Downtown for the next big thing.
Armchair Attendees – Hey, dude at home critiquing some gimmicky band or some overreaching, save-the-world panel … that’s you!
Multimodal AI – You know how AI is supposed to be super-smart, but they kinda stay in their lane? Well, these don’t stay in their lane.
This article appears in SXSW 2024 Festival Guide, Part II.
