“The computer gathers a cluster of previously scattered information about each individual, making the control of society unbearable, especially since this control will be exercised not just by ‘authorities,’ but also by the public, the ‘others,’ by public opinion.” Ellul, 1977
Great post, like the comments though I believe cryptocurrencies are a feint. They will be sold as game points, of course (do X get extra crytpobucks/special privileges that all those still dealing in cash/barter/metals can't get), to hook people. But come on, they are useless in a prolonged grid down situation, and that's the situation I'm betting on.
Love the idea of illegibility--reminds me of the Wendell Berry poem Margaret Anna Alice quoted in her post of a few weeks ago. One of the lines is "Every day, do something that does not compute"
I'm with you on crypto... Just an intuition, and my following quite fervently Alison McDowell's work. Because I cannot claim to have any kind of expertise on the matter, hah.
As I begin to look further into NFT and blockchain technology, what is being referred to positively as web3, the idea of legibility seems to be a double edged sword in hedging our bets against inflationary fiat currency. On the one hand, it seems necessary for the entire framework of user-centered blockchain and cryptocurrency/nft based transactions for the sake of validity, but at the same token, now I am absolutely appalled by the notion of FB trying to get ahead of the surge of decentralized creator-space with their metaverse. I fear it is just one more avenue that could potentially benefit the people and decentralize information but the technocratic albatross is aware and swallowing it whole.
Yes to both views... And at the same time as I see how it could be tempting to conceive of this technology as a means to make one more impervious and robust to the whims and wishes of the elite, I still can't help but wonder if it may not simply be "playing into their hands". My intuition leads me to posit that something more tangible may be a better path to autonomy and sovereignty. Certainly though, this requires a type of "thinking outside the box" that isn't simply on the level of "a different currency"... Whether it's precious metals, or owning land that can sustain you, creating a local currency or bartering, or even acquiring various skills like building, gardening, hunting/gathering/harvesting or creating a true "municipal governance", there is much to consider outside this metaverse they seem so hell bent on making us dependent on...
Thousands of virtual spaces where one's identity can be split into infinite manufactured alters, each one new customer for the sale of digital items on blockchain. That is what is being sold to us, under the guise of a "better world"...
“The computer gathers a cluster of previously scattered information about each individual, making the control of society unbearable, especially since this control will be exercised not just by ‘authorities,’ but also by the public, the ‘others,’ by public opinion.” Ellul, 1977
Great post, like the comments though I believe cryptocurrencies are a feint. They will be sold as game points, of course (do X get extra crytpobucks/special privileges that all those still dealing in cash/barter/metals can't get), to hook people. But come on, they are useless in a prolonged grid down situation, and that's the situation I'm betting on.
Love the idea of illegibility--reminds me of the Wendell Berry poem Margaret Anna Alice quoted in her post of a few weeks ago. One of the lines is "Every day, do something that does not compute"
Thanks.
I'm with you on crypto... Just an intuition, and my following quite fervently Alison McDowell's work. Because I cannot claim to have any kind of expertise on the matter, hah.
Also, thank you for clarification of the name. Apropos on many levels. I'm looking forward to what else you will be writing about.
As I begin to look further into NFT and blockchain technology, what is being referred to positively as web3, the idea of legibility seems to be a double edged sword in hedging our bets against inflationary fiat currency. On the one hand, it seems necessary for the entire framework of user-centered blockchain and cryptocurrency/nft based transactions for the sake of validity, but at the same token, now I am absolutely appalled by the notion of FB trying to get ahead of the surge of decentralized creator-space with their metaverse. I fear it is just one more avenue that could potentially benefit the people and decentralize information but the technocratic albatross is aware and swallowing it whole.
Yes to both views... And at the same time as I see how it could be tempting to conceive of this technology as a means to make one more impervious and robust to the whims and wishes of the elite, I still can't help but wonder if it may not simply be "playing into their hands". My intuition leads me to posit that something more tangible may be a better path to autonomy and sovereignty. Certainly though, this requires a type of "thinking outside the box" that isn't simply on the level of "a different currency"... Whether it's precious metals, or owning land that can sustain you, creating a local currency or bartering, or even acquiring various skills like building, gardening, hunting/gathering/harvesting or creating a true "municipal governance", there is much to consider outside this metaverse they seem so hell bent on making us dependent on...
And said metaverse operates far beyond FB (https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1453772988361453572)...
Thousands of virtual spaces where one's identity can be split into infinite manufactured alters, each one new customer for the sale of digital items on blockchain. That is what is being sold to us, under the guise of a "better world"...
So few fail to realize that that is the endgame. Vax passports, for instance, are really just the entry point into normalizing these new means of interacting and, this, for all spheres of human activity. https://medium.com/subnation/ready-player-me-avatars-in-the-metaverse-af7b24bb141f