#creativeapproaches

After seeing Cameron’s World in class, I realized that I am really interested in internet archives. I use the word “archives” instead of history because I feel like archives are less about specifically describing a period of time and instead are focused on capturing the essence of a time. For instance, when we did the timeline activity in class, the activity was focused on facts and concrete ideas. However, an archive is less focused and instead tells a bigger story. When looking at the different images in Cameron’s World, I was able to learn about the ways people at that time thought about their presence on the internet,  internet culture, what expression on the internet meant, and what people thought was valuable to communicate. While I do not learn much about who designed these images or the years the images were created, I feel like I leave with something larger that allows me to better reflect on the present technoculture and future. 

While the assignment was to notice internet infrastructure, I actually found myself noticing surveillance cameras more. Perhaps that is because they are more visible (and it is kinda hard to tell what is internet infrastructure once you leave a room) but I never had noticed all the cameras in NY before. 

I think I became interested/distracted by the cameras because I feel such a strange but intense apathy towards them.

I guess I should first explain that I have never felt safe in the streets of NY as a woman.  I always call someone if I am walking home late so the person on the phone will know if something happens to me.

The strange thing is that for some reason, I feel safe if someone would know it happened (even if its my mom who’s on the phone miles away). To me, it just matters that someone would know.

Yet, these cameras would also know. Nevertheless, I have never felt comforted by then and I still do not (even though I am more aware of them).

Sure, surveillance cameras probably do not comfort most people. But I also do not feel scared by them (even though they have probably seen me cry in the streets after a hard day). 

Returning back to the internet infrastructure, I think my relationship with internet infrastructure is similar to the one I have with these cameras. They feel distant and almost not apart of my life in anyway. 

Not only do I forgot they exist, but I feel this overwhelming apathy towards them as well. I do not feel comforted by them. I do not hate them either (as an internet user I do not know if I am allowed to). Instead, I actually feel nothing at all about their presence.

I thought after class that I would be in awe by the amount of internet infrastructure there is. However, I quickly forgot and had to remind myself to even look around for this assignment. It is so weird to have such a silent and passive relationship with structures that are everyone. Especially in the case of internet infrastructures, which are the reason I can look at Twitter memes on my way walk back home but also the reason Google can track me throughout the day. 

I guess this experience doesn’t change what it means to be “online” but it makes me curious about my lack of emotions towards these infrastructures. Are these lack of emotions a result of me growing up around technology or did companies work to foster apathy?

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I did take a moment to read "I Can Text You A Pile of Poo, But I Can't Write My Name". I think this piece in particular begs the question of why are we so accepting of technology as it is presented to us. Should we not question it? Should we not wonder why it limits us in some ways but gives us the opportunity to do other things? It also adds to conversation of how technology can perpetuate to racist practices (like cultural erasure).

my router! a strange alien box

I am not 100% sure, but as I did this exercise I realized that it is really hard to be 100% for anything besides a router (which I could tell since it was the only strange thing in my closet).

I am not sure exactly which one of the readings the assignment is referring to but I think for the purposes of this response, I would like to share my thoughts on Stealth Infrastructure, Tiny Tuvalu, and Conflict Materials.

A little known fact about me is that I was actually born in Australia. During the time my parents were there, my dad’s job was maintenance for cell towers. Growing up, he would tell me about all the tall buildings he would end up scaling in order to do his job; however, he never told me about the history of how many people found these towers invasive. I was kind of aware of people’s worries about radiation and cancer, but I had no idea that people were almost hunting them like the article explains. When I called my dad asking if he knew about this, he explained that one time while he was working on a tower, a man came up to him with a gun. My dad said that a lot of people felt invaded. The man came as a way to protect himself and his family, but had no real anger towards my dad. It’s insane to me how much times have changed and how little people think about the presence of technology in their lives now. Or perhaps I should really just speak for my generation because I do feel like people in my generation definitely care less about it.

It blows my mind how much Chapnik spent to own the .tv domain. I cannot tell if it was worth it. I mean I tried to search emmy.tv and got redirected to emmy.com. While no one is using .tv, clearly emmy.tv is still being paid for (even if its just for the purpose of redirecting). I am not sure if it is a bit a stretch but Chapnik’s actions feels very colonizer-esque (sorry I know this a fake word but I am not sure the right word). In Tiny Tuvalu, Chapnik was just trying to take all the internet “land” he could; just trying to own and dominate as much as possible. He is almost just trying to colonize space in the world wide web.

Barlow’s declaration does not translate into today or speak for most Internet “citizens”. Barlow asks for there to be no government presence on the internet. He claims that it is a free space where people are finally liberated and the people can regulate themselves.

However, this idea of a free new world does not live today and there is definitely not enough “self-regulation”. For instance, the internet has become to new place for gruesome violence towards women. Whether that is sexual harassment, verbal abuse, or with the rise of DeepFakes, women are far from safe or free on the internet. In order to keep women safe, there needs to be some sort of institutional moderation of content and other internet citizens. Of course women, are just one example of a community receiving abuse. Children, with the rise of child pornography, and people of color, with the rise of racist hate crimes, are another.

Clearly, the internet, like every other space occupied by people, needs forms of regulation and protection. I think Barlow fails to remember that in his declaration because of his identity as a white male tech elite. Barlow not only has privilege in the non-virtual world but his technological literacy makes him immensely privileged in the virtual world as well. I believe this privilege renders him blind to how people on the internet or in any space actually interact. I mean he literally claims “We are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth”. Obviously that is far from the case today.