  Based on string theory's framework, the gauge/gravity duality, also known as
holography, has the ability to solve practical problems in low energy physical
systems like metals and fluids. Holographic applications open a path for
conversation and collaboration between the theory-driven, high energy culture
of string theory and fields like nuclear and condensed matter physics, which in
contrast place great emphasis on the empirical evidence that experiment
provides. This paper takes a look at holography's history, from its roots in
string theory to its present-day applications that are challenging the cultural
identity of the field. I will focus on two of these applications: holographic
QCD and holographic superconductivity, highlighting some of the (often
incompatible) historical influences, motives, and epistemic values at play, as
well as the subcultural shifts that help the collaborations work. The extent to
which holographic research -- arguably string theory's most successful and
prolific area -- must change its subcultural identity in order to function in
fields outside of string theory reflects its changing nature and the field's
uncertain future. Does string theory lose its identity in the low-energy
applications that holography provides? Does holography still belong under
string theory's umbrella, or is it destined to form new subcultures with each
of its fields of application? I find that the answers to these questions are
dynamic, interconnected, and highly dependent on string theory's relationship
with its field of application. In some cases, holography can maintain the goals
and values it inherited from string theory. In others, it instead adopts the
goals and values of the field in which it is applied. These examples highlight
a need for the STS community to expand its treatment of string theory beyond
its relationship with empiricism and role as a theory of quantum gravity.
