The Genealogy of Drift: How Institutions Lose Their Purpose Over Time

The Genealogy of Drift examines the structural process through which institutions diverge from their founding purpose over time. Drawing on research in higher education, organizational theory, and governance studies, the essay argues that drift is not a failure of leadership but a predictable outcome of incentives, bureaucratic expansion, and environmental change. By tracing drift across universities, governance systems, media infrastructures, and technological platforms, the essay demonstrates that drift follows recurring historical patterns and accelerates under digital conditions. SignalRupture positions drift as a diagnostic lens for understanding institutional behavior, revealing how systems evolve, contradict themselves, and expose their underlying logic over time.