# PowerPoint as Institutional Cognition **Entity class:** Concept **Research spine:** [[research/Chronology of Signals, Silos, and Sovereign Software - Research|Chronology of Signals, Silos, and Sovereign Software]] ## Definition PowerPoint as institutional cognition describes the use of slide decks not merely to present decisions but to structure how complex organizations perceive problems, issue intent, and coordinate action. ## Chronological Proximity The critique peaked around the 2010 [[wiki/Stanley McChrystal Complexity Slide|Afghanistan complexity slide]] and resurfaced in a viral 2020 Pentagon diagram. ## Relational Proximity General James Mattis criticized the medium's cognitive effects; Palantir was later compared to an interactive, machine-queryable successor to the static slide. ## Collection Routes [[collections/The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace|The Civilian Intelligence Marketplace]] · [[collections/Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment|Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and the Intelligence Environment]] · [[wiki/Signals, Silos, and Sovereign Software|Signals, Silos, and Sovereign Software]] ## Sources / Provenance - [[research/Chronology of Signals, Silos, and Sovereign Software - Research|Chronology of Signals, Silos, and Sovereign Software - Research]].