The History of Networks That Don't Exist to Day

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i think history is continuously renewing our newest media. They're always compelling us to rethink the present. And i love how, for me, the story of the soviet network is not just a story about how the soviets,. so called, failed, but rather, it's also a comment about how we in the anglophone west have not designed a network. The notion that in english the word public so often flips into something like public space where voices and actions can be realized is an indictment of ourselves. I think that we are entering this period where the narratives that we have had around the internet for a long time are really coming into question. If nothing else, at

Paris Marx is joined by Benjamin Peters to discuss the proposals for national computer networks in the Soviet Union, the challenges they faced in getting approval, and what lessons they hold for how we think about networks.

Benjamin Peters is the author of “How Not to Network a Nation: The Uneasy History of the Soviet Internet” and the co-editor of “Your Computer Is On Fire.” He’s also the Hazel Rogers Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa and affiliated faculty at Yale Law School. Follow Ben on Twitter as @bjpeters.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.

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