In a recent interview, Geert Lovink called the internet perhaps the mistake of his generation. According to him, the idea that people can control it is naive. ‘Platform Brutality’ is the eighth book in Lovink’s series about the internet and forms a trinity with ‘Sad By Design’ (2019) and ‘Stuck On The Platform’ (2022), which… Continue reading dreaming
Tag: sociology
utopia as practice
future thinking as a tranquilizer in an accelerating world “Bist du bereit für eine kleine Utopie?”, Blumfeld in ‘Wir Sind Frei’ “I miss the future”, Jaron Lanier The 1977 album ‘Trans Europa Express’ by the German band Kraftwerk is peculiar. Although the arrangements, the use of synthesizers, and layers of noise are very modern, the overall feel… Continue reading utopia as practice
design pessimism
Design has become an empty shell, Silvio Lorusso argues, and he does so with a lot of humor and serious theoretical and practical observations. Lorusso refers to the word design and the entire discipline. This creates a difficult situation: many designers feel responsible for improving the world, while they have to do so with resources… Continue reading design pessimism
The Future of Journalism: speculation
In a world where we lack understanding of new developments, the journalist increasingly emerges as a clarifier of the near future. Well-founded speculative journalism is required. “Bioprinters aren’t toys, so stop printing unicorns,” headlines The New York Times. Now that toy manufacturers are launching child-friendly printers that allow the printing of living material, the time… Continue reading The Future of Journalism: speculation
Why we need design sociology
“Man becomes, as it were, the sex organs of the machine world, as the bee of the plant world, enabling it to fecundate and to evolve ever new forms. The machine world reciprocates man’s love by expediting his wishes and desires, namely, in providing him with wealth.”Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media (1964) In Coded Bias, MIT Media… Continue reading Why we need design sociology