Introduction

We open by exploring the metacrisis and its cultural roots. You will delve into the transformative power of narratives and their role in shaping systems and actions in the world. We share the Culture Hack Labs approach to Narrative-Led Systems Change: Justice plus Onto-Shift, which emphasizes that demands for justice must be paired with a deeper shift in ontologies—the fundamental ways we perceive, relate to, and engage with the world.

Step 3: Understand

First you will analyse the Attention, Network and Power, as well as the Language of your Narrative Communities. You will then Map the Communities using Justice-Ontology axes to reveal key patterns and positions - building on the “Justice plus onto-shift” approach introduced in the Introduction. Finally, you will identify where the Window of Discourse sits and where we want to shift it. This is the foundation for your narrative intervention strategy.

Decode & Recode

You will first select a representative message of the target narrative community you wish to evolve. You will then Decode this message. Finally, you will Recode the message – which will be the basis of your hack.

A simple way to guide you through this Decode → Recode process is to use the metaphor of an iceberg.

Narratives are like icebergs, there is a visible part above the surface and a hidden part, under the water:

The part that is visible are the messages and communications that are the actions and expressions of the narrative.
The hidden section of the iceberg, represents the deeper layers of the narrative (the frames, metaphors, hidden assumptions, ideologies, logics, etc).

STEP 1: You will decode the narrative, looking for verbs used, subject/object relationships, evoked images & conceptual metaphors, and semantic frames, hidden assumptions and ideologies.

STEP 2: You will recode the narrative, developing new conceptual metaphors, semantic frames and logics; and ensuring verb choice and active subjects/objects align with your worldview.

The recoded message still contains a justice lens because it addresses the harm of dispossession and the need to restore balance — but instead of grounding justice in property rights (“taking back”), it grounds it in Right Relationship. This introduces an ontological shift: land is not framed as an object to be owned, fought over, or protected from a distance, but as a living relative with whom we are in ongoing relationship.

Next Step: Develop your Narrative Strategy

The Culture Hack Method

The Culture Hack Method

Introduction

Step 1: Ask

Step 2: Listen

Step 3: Understand

Step 4: Recode

Decode & Recode