Re: <nettime> limits of networks...

On 1 Jul 2019, at 15:24, Kristoffer Gansing <kg@transmediale.de> wrote:

discussion of
networked forms seems to be returning at the moment, maybe especially
also on a list like nettime, because it seems as if it disappeared from
the big "digitalisation" debates that are now anyway everywhere. (except
for the breaking up of THE social network) Meanwhile, users are
returning to smaller networked forms in the form of the fediverse or in
other intimate constellations taking their cue from safe spaces and
intersectional practices online, offline or rather in between.

Exciting that the next Transmedialle will look at the re-emergence of discussions of

“networked forms” which I suppose would include a reassesment of the sociological concept

of the “network society” at the point when there is a strong movement away from the Castells’

depiction of the net as a “universal space”. This was always a vision that flew in the face of many

highly situated socio/political movements for whom there is no such thing as any universal categories,

principles, or experiences.

Does recuperating "autonomous zones" and "safe spaces” of smaller networks represent effective

resistence to the new technological formalism of big tech’s computational social scientists? Or does it

simply highlight the fact that the twin ideals of autonomy and participation that were once seen as not

only related but actually entailing one another have proved themselves to be all to frequently

incomensurable as to be a participant is always to be enrolled in some kind of infrastructure ?