I lent away my copy of Ursula Franklin's The Real World of Technology so I can't find the quote that I want. But the gist is that new technologies tend to begin with a wave of populist excitement -- doors will be opened with this potential in the hands of the people! Of course "the people" who recognise this potential tend to be small groups with specialised skills. This was obviously true for computers and the internet, and (according to Franklin) was also true for automobiles. At the inception there was great talk from driving clubs about mobility and access. But the great homogenizer of the market force seems unstoppable. Sometimes artists argue: "We have to participate in this tech so that we can provide a counter spin to the inevitable mainstream." That's compelling, but I am suspicious that its just an ego-fed rationalisation ( like how I might say that, as an artist who works with pop cultural reference, I use my PS2 as a research tool...)(...eventhough that's kind of true). Anyhow, I'm not so keen on the idea of job loss and squirty houses, but I wouldn't mind a replicator next to my computer.
|
- sally mckay 3-11-2004 5:38 am