Connected University: Rethinking How Knowledge Is Shared
Written By Eric Thiermann and Aleksandra Wolska
Connected University: Rethinking How Knowledge Is Shared
Santa Cruz has always been a place where technology, creativity, and consciousness intersect. Connected University is an experiment born at that intersection — a reimagining of what an online publication can be.
Built on Substack but stretching beyond the traditional “newsletter” model, Connected University is a multimedia library of short-form handbooks designed to be experienced, not just read. Each release integrates written essays with audio narration, original music, visual design, and guided centering practices. The result is less like a blog and more like a compact, embodied learning environment — something between a book, a podcast, and a reflective app.
The premise is simple: in an age of acceleration and fragmentation, how might we design digital spaces that restore coherence rather than consume attention?
Each handbook is intentionally concise — typically a 20–30 minute read — and is paired with an audiobook version and ambient soundscape. Many also include a simple “Circle of Inquiry” guide, enabling small groups to explore the material together offline. The platform itself becomes a distribution layer for ideas that move fluidly between digital and physical space.
Substack, often perceived as a text-based publishing tool, has quietly evolved into a flexible infrastructure for this kind of integrated experience. Connected University uses its core capabilities — posts, audio hosting, subscriber tools — while layering in music composition (AI-assisted and human-produced), visual storytelling, and donation-supported open access through a 501(c)(3) nonprofit structure.
The larger question behind the project is technological as much as cultural:
Can we use the same digital tools that drive distraction to foster reflection?
Can long-form thinking coexist with modern distribution?
Can a platform be both sustainable and gift-based?Early responses suggest there is appetite for slower, deeper digital spaces — especially in communities like Santa Cruz that value both innovation and meaning.
Connected University is not a course platform, a coaching funnel, or a gated product. It is an open, evolving living library designed to circulate freely, supported by voluntary stewardship rather than paywalls.
In a region known for building the future, this project asks a parallel question:
What would it look like to build technology that helps us remember what we already know?Explore: connecteduniversity.substack.com
