Toni Ahvenainen
Imperfect Visions
Week 7, Wednesday
I took this photograph when I was outdoors at the playground with Aura. We were just leaving for home when I noticed this parking hall entry and had to look twice to realize that there is a well-known error message on screen. If you are about my age and have computer geek background you will immediately recognize that this screen, which usually shows how many parking slots are free, is actually running from a Dos/Windows based computer. What it is, is actually indifferent, but it gives me an odd 'Matrix-like' feeling when something like this happens. Suddenly the reality you've taken for granted is undressed so that everyone can see the digital architecture behind it. It reminds me how inclusively digital technology is adapted in our environment and how little I see of it every day. But it keeps coming fast: social media, 3D-printers, augmented reality, robots, bitcoins, smart clothes, software jailbreaks, clouds, mmorpg, edgerank, google glasses, ubiquitous computing, context-aware systems, tabs, pads, boards and what else.
I've been reading different future research reports with great interest and only as late as now I've become to understand that digital age will bring a great transform into our culture. If you have followed any news you probably haven't missed the flashy visions of how new technology that is going to change our (or our children's) life in future. Most of time I read of things that makes us live longer, healthier, more active and social. Everything is on hand and available very easily for everyone and everywhere. Watching and reading about these visions will make future look bright, clean and in many ways better, if not 'perfect'.
However, I feel that most of these flashy visions of better future lack something. For example you never see any indications of any societal relations. You will not see that there will be different social classes, class relations and inequality in future too. You will not see that technology can also be used for drawing borders of discrimination. Then again, you will not see any unwanted side effects that new technology has always introduced historically. You will not see what kind of ecological strain new technologies will bring. You will definitely not see that all new products will eventually become gigantic piles of electronic waste which are then dumped to developing countries. And finally you will not see that future technology will also be used for controlling people and other aspects of life in general.
The problem with most of these future visions have is that they are very consumer centric and usually concentrate on bringing new services and products to markets. The more you watch these the more they start to look like commercial adverts and in some way that's what they are; states are heavily investing to new digital technology and ubiquitous computing because they believe it will improve their national competitiveness. With a visions they and multinational corporations are fishing approval of (consumer)citizens. I don't know about you, but the more I hear about superfluous new technologies like 3D-televisions and hologram displays, the more I feel this time is characterized by technocratic thought. For a change, I would love to see alternative visions of future where technology, for example, aids democratization of world economy, builds foundations for global social politics and brings ethical politics back to public space. I guess that's also a reason why a sudden undress of screens feels the way it does; it's like a accidentally stepping outside of technological sphere and remembering what the world once was, when there was just simple computers with simple operating systems like Dos and Windows.
Year of the Alpha – 52 Weeks of Sony Alpha Photography: www.yearofthealpha.com
Imperfect Visions
Week 7, Wednesday
I took this photograph when I was outdoors at the playground with Aura. We were just leaving for home when I noticed this parking hall entry and had to look twice to realize that there is a well-known error message on screen. If you are about my age and have computer geek background you will immediately recognize that this screen, which usually shows how many parking slots are free, is actually running from a Dos/Windows based computer. What it is, is actually indifferent, but it gives me an odd 'Matrix-like' feeling when something like this happens. Suddenly the reality you've taken for granted is undressed so that everyone can see the digital architecture behind it. It reminds me how inclusively digital technology is adapted in our environment and how little I see of it every day. But it keeps coming fast: social media, 3D-printers, augmented reality, robots, bitcoins, smart clothes, software jailbreaks, clouds, mmorpg, edgerank, google glasses, ubiquitous computing, context-aware systems, tabs, pads, boards and what else.
I've been reading different future research reports with great interest and only as late as now I've become to understand that digital age will bring a great transform into our culture. If you have followed any news you probably haven't missed the flashy visions of how new technology that is going to change our (or our children's) life in future. Most of time I read of things that makes us live longer, healthier, more active and social. Everything is on hand and available very easily for everyone and everywhere. Watching and reading about these visions will make future look bright, clean and in many ways better, if not 'perfect'.
However, I feel that most of these flashy visions of better future lack something. For example you never see any indications of any societal relations. You will not see that there will be different social classes, class relations and inequality in future too. You will not see that technology can also be used for drawing borders of discrimination. Then again, you will not see any unwanted side effects that new technology has always introduced historically. You will not see what kind of ecological strain new technologies will bring. You will definitely not see that all new products will eventually become gigantic piles of electronic waste which are then dumped to developing countries. And finally you will not see that future technology will also be used for controlling people and other aspects of life in general.
The problem with most of these future visions have is that they are very consumer centric and usually concentrate on bringing new services and products to markets. The more you watch these the more they start to look like commercial adverts and in some way that's what they are; states are heavily investing to new digital technology and ubiquitous computing because they believe it will improve their national competitiveness. With a visions they and multinational corporations are fishing approval of (consumer)citizens. I don't know about you, but the more I hear about superfluous new technologies like 3D-televisions and hologram displays, the more I feel this time is characterized by technocratic thought. For a change, I would love to see alternative visions of future where technology, for example, aids democratization of world economy, builds foundations for global social politics and brings ethical politics back to public space. I guess that's also a reason why a sudden undress of screens feels the way it does; it's like a accidentally stepping outside of technological sphere and remembering what the world once was, when there was just simple computers with simple operating systems like Dos and Windows.
Year of the Alpha – 52 Weeks of Sony Alpha Photography: www.yearofthealpha.com