TOD #48: The Politics of Platformization – Amsterdam Dialogues on Platform Theory

By Tommaso Campagna, February 14, 2023

               Theory on Demand #48 The Politics of Platformization: Amsterdam Dialogues on Platform Theory Interviews by Gianmarco Cristofari — Illustrations by Carlotta Artioli  What is platformization and why is it a relevant category in the contemporary political landscape? How is it related to cybernetics and the history of computation?  [...]

TOD #47: Failurists – When Things go Awry

By Tommaso Campagna, April 5, 2023

           Theory on Demand #47 Failurists – When Things go Awry Edited by Sybille Lammes, Kat Jungnickel, Larissa Hjorth & Jen Rae  Failure is a popular topic of research. It has long been a source of study in fields such as sociology and anthropology, science and technology studies, privacy and surveillance, [...]

Our Little Drones: Senses, Violence and the Space

By Sepp Eckenhaussen, February 1, 2023

Challenging Oppressive Discourses in the Digital Public Sphere: Reflections on Anger and Empathy in Comment Wars

By Chloë Arkenbout, December 22, 2022

TOD #46: Economies of Virtue – The Circulation of ‘Ethics’ in AI

By jasmin, December 12, 2022

Theory on Demand #46 Economies of Virtue: The Circulation of ‘Ethics’ in AI Edited by Thao Phan, Jake Goldenfein, Declan Kuch, and Monique Mann AI ethics has never been far from the industries it sought to critique. While originally designed to bring values such as fairness, accountability and transparency to Big Tech and its products, [...]

Geert Lovink: Extinction Internet

By Tommaso Campagna, November 24, 2022

Extinction Internet is not merely an end-of-the-world phantasy of digital technology that one day will be wiped out by an electromagnetic pulse or the cutting of cables. Rather, Extinction Internet marks the end of an era of possibilities and speculations, when adaptation is no longer an option. During the internet’s Lost Decade, we’ve been rearranging [...]

Critical Meme Reader II: Memetic Tacticality

By Chloë Arkenbout, November 10, 2022

         (⚠️ Alert — the link for ordering online doesn’t work when connected to an Eduroam network, please try with another WiFi network) INC Reader #16  Critical Meme Reader II: Memetic Tacticality Edited by Chloë Arkenbout and Laurence Scherz The (political) power of memes has moved beyond virtual images. The distinction between [...]

TOD #45: Overload, Creep, Excess – An Internet from India

By jasmin, October 27, 2022

Theory on Demand #45 Overload, Creep, Excess – An Internet from India Nishant Shah, Ashish Rajadhyaskha, Nafis Hasan Foreword – Chinmayi Arun This book locates India’s flourishing internet within a complex 24-year history that has seen an unprecedented re-organization of social and political life. Three essays provide independent perspectives on a common area of inquiry, an [...]

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE WEB DEVELOPER, REALITY OF A FEMALE FREELANCER

By Tommaso Campagna, September 13, 2022

DeepPockets #4 The Psychology of the Web Developer, Reality of a Female Freelancer By Maisa Imamović Underneath the user interface of any website—be it simple or complex—lurks the web developer’s struggle with money, prestige, and power. An ever-lasting race to the top, never not working. Yet what are these unseen costs of being a traditional [...]

TOD #44: Dispatches from Ukraine: Tactical Media Reflections and Responses 

By Maria van der Togt, July 15, 2022

    Theory on Demand #44 Dispatches from Ukraine: Tactical Media Reflections and Responses edited by Maria van der Togt and 11111 &23%#719 This publication marks the first results of the Tactical Media Room Ukraine project, launched in February 2022 in Amsterdam after the shocking Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Tactical Media Room is a network [...]