A series exploring the media “input” of a group of people — our commercial semiotician colleagues, from around the world — whose “output” we admire.

Limoges…

SEMIOVOX

What forms of media do you “take in” the most regularly/frequently, during a typical day or week?

HIBATO BEN AHMED

I often find myself drawn to video essays — a genre of YouTube videos. They bring to my attention things I might not have looked at otherwise: new topics, unfamiliar works, unexpected ideas. From analyses of a movie’s editing choices to commentaries on cultural phenomenons, video essays cover a wide range of subjects.

But what I find even more compelling than the diversity of what they explore is how they explore it. Video essays — and often their comment sections too — offer a glimpse into the many ways people are interpreting and responding to culture: what they choose to notice, how they choose to frame it, and how those perspectives shift over time.

SEMIOVOX

What work of nonfiction (old or new) would you recommend to someone trying to make sense of today’s world?

HIBATO BEN AHMED

Perhaps not a specific work, but Open Courses in general. I turn to them whenever I want to understand a subject more deeply, or when I have a bit of time to give to something I’m curious about. They’re such a valuable way to understand more and learn more — especially when you’re new to a topic. And there’s real quality out there.

One course I always come back to is Yale’s course on the Old Testament. It’s essential to revisit older texts that have shaped societies. They help make sense of the values and questions that still echo in the world today.

At the same time, in a world that’s constantly shifting and innovating, these courses help me stay up-to-date. When AI started becoming more present in everyday life, I returned to Coursera. Different courses helped me understand AI better, both in terms of the technology itself and how people are beginning to use it.

SEMIOVOX

What’s the best movie you’ve ever seen?

HIBATO BEN AHMED

Dune: Part One and Dune: Part Two are, without a doubt, the best films I’ve ever seen. Nearly everything is perfect — story, cinematography, performances, editing, music, costume design.

What I find most compelling is author Frank Herbert’s and director Denis Villeneuve’s exploration of myth making. How a group of powerful women, working across generations, carefully planted the seeds of a myth into a society — through scripture and signs — and nurtured it for their own ambitions. And how, later, a young man steps into that myth and actualises it by hijacking its symbols, again for his own ambitions, whether voluntarily or not.

SEMIOVOX

What’s the best TV series you’ve ever seen?

HIBATO BEN AHMED

The Witcher (season 1 only!) is a series that ticks a lot of boxes for me. I enjoy fantasy, so I was immediately drawn to the world and characters Andrzej Sapkowski created.

What stands out even more, though, is the non-linear storytelling. The story spans decades, and the episodes jump between different timelines without much explanation — trusting the viewer to follow along and gradually piece things together. To me, that’s a narrative choice that strengthens one of the main underlying themes of the story: “People linked by destiny will always find each other.”

SEMIOVOX

Anything else you’d like to share about your media diet?

HIBATO BEN AHMED

With AI increasingly being used for search, and so much AI-generated content filling the internet, I’ve realised that the kind of knowledge and the recommendations that feel most meaningful to me still tend to come from humans. There’s a certain precision, or maybe a kind of intuition, that’s hard to replicate. Sure, AI can do a lot of things well. But when I’m looking for the right book, or trying to find something that really resonates, it’s almost always something mentioned in an online community of readers. There’s a quality to shared human knowledge that I can’t quite name, but I keep coming back to it.

MEDIA DIET: GIANLLUCA SIMI (Brazil) | HIBATO BEN AHMED (France) | MARIE LENA TUPOT (USA) | EUGENE GORNY (Thailand) | YOGI HENDLIN (Netherlands / USA) | INKA CROSSWAITE (Germany / South Africa) | SÓNIA MARQUES (Portugal) | ĽUDMILA LACKOVÁ BENNETT (Czechia) | BRIAN KHUMALO (USA / South Africa) | JIAKUN WANG (Shanghai) | FRANCISCO HAUSS (China / Mexico) | ASHLEY MAURITZEN (England) | STEFANIA GOGNA (Italy) | BECKS COLLINS (England) | ANTJE WEISSENBORN (Germany) | MARIANE CARA (Brazil) | VICTORIA GERSTMAN (Scotland) | MALCOLM EVANS (Wales) | COCO WU (Singapore / China) | JOSH GLENN (USA) | JENNIFER VASILACHE (Switzerland) | ANDREA BASUNTI (England) | SARAH JOHNSON (Canada) | PAULINA GOCH-KENAWY (Poland) | MARTHA ARANGO (Sweden).

Also see these global semio series: MAKING SENSE (Q&As) | SEMIOFEST SESSIONS (monthly mini-conferences) | COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | COLOR CODEX | DECODER (fictional semioticians) | CASE FILE | PHOTO OP | MEDIA DIET.