The Datalism Observatory

The data economy is not coming. its already here.

Most institutions are still trying to understand it with frameworks built for another era. The Observatory tracks the signals that matter: how digital technology is reshaping work, value, infrastructure, and power; how governments and companies are responding; and where the market is moving next.  

This is not a news feed. It is a space for sustained attention to the forces defining the next decade.

The observatory is a working laboratory. new tools, research, and outputs will appear here as they are developed.

LAST UPDATED 06/07/2026

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What we’re watching

The Restructuring of Work

Datalism is changing the basic architecture of work. Jobs, tasks, platforms, algorithms, and machines are being reorganised into new systems of production and control. We track how these shifts are changing who does the work, who captures the value, and what institutions need to understand to respond.

Value Creation Under Datalism

In the industrial economy, value was created through production. Under Datalism, value is increasingly created through data extraction, network effects, prediction, automation, and control over digital infrastructure. We examine how value is being created, concentrated, and contested in the data economy.

Institutional Response to Datalism

Most institutions are still responding to digital change with tools built for another era. Companies digitise old structures. Governments regulate individual technologies. Regulators chase symptoms rather than the underlying logic of Datalism. We work on what fit-for- purpose responses look like for institutions operating in a data-shaped world.

Emerging signals

The next shifts in Datalism are already visible. We monitor early signals across technology, regulation, markets, organisational design, and behaviour to understand where power, value, and dependency are moving before consensus catches up.