Mike Pepi, a critic and technologist known for his insights on art and technology, discusses his book, "Against Platforms: Surviving Digital Utopia." He emphasizes the essential role of criticism in shaping societal ideologies and argues that Silicon Valley needs the art world to help navigate its complexities. The conversation delves into the ideological implications of AI marketing, the conflict between user-centered design and corporate interests, and the need for stronger institutional frameworks to balance the influence of tech platforms.
The podcast underscores the importance of using criticism as a tool to uncover ideologies influencing technology and culture.
A techno-progressive perspective highlights the role of human agency in technology design, urging nuanced dialogues about its societal impacts.
The distinction between platforms and institutions illustrates how platforms prioritize growth over community, while institutions aim for cultural preservation and collective values.
Deep dives
Critique of Technological Ideologies
The discussion highlights how conversations around artificial intelligence often fall into binary thinking, focusing on whether technology will improve or harm society. This perspective tends to overlook the deeper ideologies behind technological developments, particularly those originating from Silicon Valley. The importance of critiquing these ideologies is emphasized, as they shape our understanding of technology's role in culture. By critically engaging with these ideologies, we can uncover assumptions that have become ingrained in daily life, allowing for a broader discourse on technology and its ramifications.
The Power of Criticism
Criticism is presented as a radical tool that can uncover hidden ideologies and encourage the imagination of new worlds. Rather than providing prescriptive solutions, effective criticism nurtures dialogue and creates conditions for innovative ideas to emerge. This approach promotes deeper thought and encourages individuals to engage with the underlying assumptions behind technological advancements. By fostering critical awareness, criticism empowers a collective exploration of alternative futures and challenges the status quo.
Understanding Techno-Progressivism
The concept of techno-progressivism serves as a middle ground between techno-utopianism and anti-tech sentiments, focusing on the people and social formations behind technological innovations. This perspective argues that it's not the technology itself that determines societal outcomes, but rather the intentions and actions of those who create it. By acknowledging human agency in technology design, it becomes possible to engage in more nuanced dialogues about its implications. Emphasizing this perspective encourages critical engagement with technology while recognizing its potential for positive societal impact.
The Fallacy of Techno-Fixes
The conversation addresses the limitations of relying on technological solutions to solve complex social problems, commonly referred to as the techno-fix mentality. Such an approach often overlooks the deeper socio-political contexts in which these problems exist and tends to propose surface-level fixes rather than addressing root causes. The need for a more comprehensive understanding of social dynamics before implementing technological solutions is stressed. This highlights the urgency of recognizing that social issues require collective political engagement rather than mere technological interventions.
Reimagining Institutions vs. Platforms
The distinction between platforms and institutions is crucial, as platforms often prioritize growth and profit over community and cultural values, while institutions are built to serve collective needs and maintain permanence. Platforms operate on an asynchronous basis, focusing on rapid delivery and efficiency, which can lead to lost nuance in the importance of content quality and meaning. In contrast, institutions foster a sense of shared history and responsibility towards cultural preservation. Reinforcing the value of institutions encourages a move away from purely transactional relationships fostered by platforms, allowing for deeper engagement in society.
Mike Pepi is a critic and technologist who writes about art, culture, and technology. He is the author of the new book, Against Platforms: Surviving Digital Utopia, which is both a work of technology criticism and an analysis of how we talk about Silicon Valley. His other writing has appeared in Frieze, e-flux, Artforum, and The Brooklyn Rail. In this conversation, Jarrett and Mike talk about the role of criticism, the differences between platforms and institutions, and why Silicon Valley needs the art world more than the other way around. Links from this episode can be found at scratchingthesurface.fm/266-mike-pepi.
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