It starts with something small.

A click. A choice. A step. A heartbeat. A night’s sleep.

Every day we leave behind countless signals about who we are, what we need and how we live — and more and more of them come from our own bodies, through watches, rings, apps and scans.

Individually, they seem insignificant. Together, they have become one of the most valuable resources in the world.

But somewhere along the way, something changed. The digital economy grew around our participation, while the value it created moved further and further away from the people at its source.

DARA began with a simple question:

What if participation itself had value?

What if people could be more than users, consumers or sources of data — with real say over what they share, and a share in the value it helps create? That is the idea behind the Participation Economy. It is the story DARA follows.

What is the Participation Economy?

The Participation Economy is an economy in which the people whose data, knowledge and everyday activity create value can see what they contribute, decide how it is used, and receive a fair share of the value it creates. In it, people are not just users or sources of data, but participants.

In Norwegian: deltakerøkonomi. Read the full definition, in English and Norwegian: What is the Participation Economy?

We focus where the stakes are highest: health and wellness data — the most personal data there is, and the fastest-growing. Regulation, AI and new business models are beginning to shift who controls it and who benefits. We track that shift: what is happening, who is driving it, and what it means for you.

From the roots up

An oak begins as a single seed. It grows because of what happens beneath the surface — roots that connect, strengthen and sustain everything above. We believe economies can grow the same way: from people, from participation, from the roots up. Value that doesn’t simply flow upward, but grows outward — and comes back to those who helped create it.

What you get

DARA Brief — every week. One number, three stories, and why they matter.

The Big Picture — when the story is ready. In-depth analysis of one structural shift, built around one key figure you’ll remember.

Source Notes. One important report, study or regulation, explained in plain language.

Every claim links to its source, and every source we cite is collected in the searchable DARA Source Library.

Why DARA?

DARA is a name with two layers. In Hebrew and Persian it carries the meanings of wisdom and gift.

We like that. It points to something we believe: data, used well, can be a gift. Not just for the companies that collect it. For the people who create it.

You can also read DARA as a description of what we do: Data Research Agent. We report on what changes when the people who create data start asking what it's worth.

How DARA is made

Stories in DARA come from people in many fields who tell their own stories, in their own words. Trond Slyngstad edits and keeps a hand on it. We use AI openly in research and drafting: as a tool, never as the author. Every piece is checked by the editor, and contributors are credited by name.

Be part of it

Do you see the same in your field? Send us a message on Substack or leave a comment on any post. Your story could be the next one in DARA.

No commercial agenda — yet. If that changes, we will say so plainly.