Festering in ignorance in the dark, like fungi, is key for weird futures to emerge, within a support network and feedback loop, but cut off from the main system for long enough... so they can sprout enough interesting shoots that spore and diversify so they can infect elsewhere before being picked off, eaten and assimilated.
Because if picked too early they’re too easily codified, there’s only a few shoots. Their genetic code, actions and affects are easily delineated.
Festering was a geographical thing before, and maybe a medium thing (restrictions of certain distribution channels eg dubplates) The internet makes festering very difficult now for a variety of reasons. But festering does occur, think 4chan, alt-right etc. Cultures that are hidden and incubated because of their repulsiveness or incompatibility. weird underworlds can thrive and come to influence mainstream culture in big ways.