Alexander Bard on Sun, 20 Apr 2014 15:55:35 +0200 (CEST) |
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Dear Florian I have to say I'm confused here. I don't understand whether you disagree with the meaning of the concept, or whether what disturbs you is the importance I have placed in the concept? The first is just outright confusing, whereas the second I could definitely understand and respect as a position we would correctly have to agree to disagree on. And then probably let history decide eventually. As for the meaning of the concept "netocracy" we could of course also speak of a "digerati" (to me though that term sounds like banal marketing speech) but why not of the "net aristocracy" Tyler Cowen portrays in his 2013 dystopian bestseller "Average Is Over"? His "net aristocracy" is the forthcoming 15% superclass of the United States ruling over the 85% underclass of consumtarians following the full onslaught of digital technologies and production processes over the next two decades. The "net aristocracy" is driven both by attentionalist information flows and capitalist money flows and is perhaps the interim hybrid we should look out for first. Cowen finds its roots not only in Silicon Valley but also at locations like Williamsburg, places which lack the financial muscle of Silicon Valley but are already rich in attentionalist power. I'm sorry if "netocracy" and "net aristocracy" did not turn up together on your Google or Wikipedia searches. Perhaps this could explain why you would think I only served my own interests in discussing the concept here. This is frankly not the case. My point, again, is to try to see the picture in a slightly more complex manner, than classic Marxist analysis would take us, as to actually hit it right. Power is more than money these days, especially as money increasingly flows where the attention already exists rather than the other way round. I am, if anything, not naive. And never compare me or pack me in with internet hallelujah marketing people ever again. My ideological roots belong with Michel Foucault and nowhere else. I'm not some kind of aspiring Richard Florida figure, thank you! Best regards Alexander 2014-04-18 23:55 GMT+02:00 Florian Cramer <fcramer@pleintekst.nl>: > Alexander, > >> I can sense that we disagree already - and probably have to agree to >> disagree - but let me just state that "netocracy" is already well defined >> in internt social theory and needs no confusing redefinition from you nor >> anybody else. > > If Wikipedia can be believed, then the "internet social theory" that has > "well defined" "netocracy" is your own writing, based on a previous > coinage of the term in "Wired". I just dare to disagree with your concept > because it's based on an idealist notion of power. <...> # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: http://mx.kein.org/mailman/listinfo/nettime-l # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@kein.org