I’m speaking at Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall next Thursday 1 March as part of the Glasgow Lectures series, organised by Professor Philip Schlesinger. My talk, Cult of Me Meets Cult of We, uncovers the sociocultural assumptions designed into the web technologies we use in everyday life. Here’s a blurb:
As Prof Melvin Kranzberg from Case Western University says, “technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.” In the West, the services that technologists have created for us reflect our individualism and free speech agendas. And more besides. Larry Page and Sergey Brin, founders of Google, have decided the most valuable information should be determined by the crowd, not by independent sources. Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, believes serendipitous discoveries that inspire new ways of thinking should be based only on what we – and people “like” us – have bought before. And Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, says privacy is dead. By using their services, we sign a contract that says we believe in their worldviews. This has enormous implications for our place in society, our place in global culture and global politics.
Some of what I’ll be speaking about was covered in the piece I filmed for the 10 February edition of the BBC’s Culture Show:
I remember going to the Concert Hall when I lived in Glasgow in the late 1990s/early 2000s. I honestly never thought I’d be speaking there! Very honoured.
Comments
Dear Aleks
Thanks again for a really interesting talk this evening in Glasgow. I had the opportunity to speak to you just at the end of session (throwing out time!).
I wanted to send this email because although I very much abhor the use of the internet and social media by individuals who’s agenda at best – is anti social and hateful while others at worst are unquestionable to have be judged.
How ever I am very interested in what you called the “long view”,and “How could it be otherwise”?
Personally the one thing I thought of was the idea of emotional avatars – these I think will feature soon, (I think one of the audience touched on it when they said that not all people are as wordy as a text based internet requires).
I’m not quite sure where I am going with this (although I would like to send you a copy of the “Knowledge” – a taxi based digital work for Glasgow 1999 – if your interested). However I feel you hit it on the mark when you were talking about your early interest of computer role playing games and the sussing out of people.
That being said I very much acknowledge the need for identity to be honest, transparent and upright in the transaction of communication.
I guess that why I wanted to pick up on your comment about “Open Source” – not that I more knowledgeable than the rest of a better tech savvy community – However it is interesting when contrasted to the mission creep of the more reductionist elements of human society.
Pardon me I think I am rambling now.
Again thanks for a very interesting and thought provoking lecture.
Best regards
Paul
Hi Paul – thanks for your comments here, and after the talk in Glasgow. ‘How could it be otherwise’ is a very interesting question to ponder, about just about everything!
I’m looking forward to looking into it more closely.