Monger
Aarav Narain
Information is never neutral. Long before it is verified or recorded, it circulates informally as rumor and speculation. This information, categorized as “gossip,” is often dismissed as trivial or immature, yet it quietly shapes how reputations are formed, how communities assign trust, and how individuals are positioned within social hierarchies.
Monger is a project that examines the invisible “gossip economy” by transforming speculation into a structured system of participation and reward. The speculative platform invites users to take positions on circulating rumors, earning points based on the accuracy of their predictions.
In this world, points translate into access, and users who demonstrate consistent informational advantage become eligible for an exclusive “Insider Card,” unlocking entry into an idealized lifestyle of improved housing, employment, and social opportunity. By formalizing rumor and rewarding predictive accuracy, Monger exposes the mechanisms through which gossip operates as a social currency. If access to opportunity increasingly depends on insider knowledge, where does the line lie between gossip, information, and power?