Re: <nettime> a to-do list

[Olja Petrovic <sve_null@autistici.org>]

avy@srishti.ac.in wrote:

> (...)
> There seems no way out of the global spiritual mess all of which is
> finally centred in the "self" of each individual, each tribe, each
> ethnic group, each nation and any other human configuration you might
> want to name.
>
> Avy

Interesting input from you both.

I come across this thread in the very moment that I am reading both Vance
Packard's "The hidden persuaders" and Nassim Nicholas Taleb's
"The Black Swan", in parallel, more or less one chapter from each at a 
time.  All I can say is that it's finally sinking in that around the 1950s
so much had changed about capitalism. I mean, the passage from producing
more to sell more, to marketing more to sell more,  and the consequent
developments which lead us to the prosumer concept that sometimes sounds
like producer+consumer like what it was supposed to mean, others morelike
product+consumer, but it's tricky to say. I mean what is being sold to whom
and who('s data) is being sold and who is doing the selling? Then it's not
just the 1950s I should be considering, but the bigger picture, which still
escapes me.

I won't get into the whole mess of social networks now, but let's consider
how complex the economy and society are, how 'recursive', how full of
loopholes? Or is it just so on the surface, in appearance, and if one would
focus on the real dynamics underneath the clutter, things might clear up
somewhat? But how can we choose what to highlight?  Some things in Alex's
email sure are interesting in regard to this, but...  Don't know, all I'm
really figuring out is how much I still have to study...  A lot.

As far as for the rest of it... As Avy points out, how global IS the crisis
anyway? As far as dumping capitalism and starting from scratch, I mean you
can't really ever start from scratch even if you grow your own vegetables
and manage your own Internet services etc.  You still depend on the water,
current, DNS, the providers (net, phone, whatever), etc.  Especially in
Europe.  Maybe Alex was... probably just exaggerating to get our attention.
As far as the radical imaginary, I'm feeling less radical every day.  I
mean, I do see many empty spaces where projects and networks and thoughts
could fit in, as far as research, communication, collaboration, media and
such go.  I just don't feel any need to be/feel radical about it.

I'll think about it all.
Thank you for the input and the attention.

Sve Null


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