The Blockchain Socialist Building autonomous infrastructure for tactical media
Nov 26, 2023
Geert Lovink, a Dutch media theorist and founder of the Institute of Network Cultures, delves into the evolution of the internet since the 1980s. He discusses the impact of venture capital on social movements and alternative economies. Lovink explores the importance of tactical media as a strategy for the left, reflecting on gentrification and housing activism. He emphasizes the need for autonomous infrastructures to support movements, critiques platform life, and considers blockchain's potential for wealth redistribution in culture and arts.
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Grassroots Media And Alternative Economy Origins
- Geert Lovink recounts joining squatting movements and running cafes, theatres, and pirate radios in Amsterdam during the 1980s.
- He tied those practices to early experiments in alternative economies and publishing that shaped his media work.
Early Computing And Meeting David Chaum
- Geert describes getting his first personal computer and modem then joining bulletin boards around 1989–90.
- He also recounts interviewing David Chaum in 1992 about Digicash and early digital payment experiments.
VC Shaped The Internet's Political Economy
- Lovink argues venture capital reshaped internet formation by privileging financing models over product or markets.
- The result was 'funny money' bubbles that aimed to eliminate competition and create monopolies.
