Cyber-dystopianism: The Internet seen through the lens of nightmares

Presented at Gikii 14, London, September 2019

1. CYBER-DYSTOPIANISM: THE
INTERNET SEEN THROUGH THE LENS
OF NIGHTMARES
ANDRES GUADAMUZ

2. NO APOLOGIES

3. CORE CYBER-
UTOPIANISM
•The Internet is unique
•Technology can save the
world
•Internet empowers people
•Educated, informed,
democratic, egalitarian,
globalist societies will rise

4. REMEMBER
THAT TIME?
“[2006 is] a story about
community and collaboration on
a scale never seen before. It’s
about the cosmic compendium of
knowledge Wikipedia and the
million-channel people’s network
YouTube and the online
metropolis MySpace. It’s about
the many wresting power from
the few and helping one another
for nothing and how that will not
only change the world, but also
change the way the world
changes.” Lev Grossman

5. PEAK CYBER-
UTOPIA
•“Without Twitter the
people of Iran would not
have felt empowered and
confident to stand up for
freedom and democracy”
Mark Pfeifle
•Arab spring
•Wikileaks
•Bitcoin

6. [INSERT DOOM AND GLOOM HERE]

7. CYBER-
DYSTOPIANISM
•I would argue that
utopianism has been
replaced with purposeful
dystopianism that matches
our worse nightmares.
•Take almost everything we
are warned against in
dystopian SF, and there is a
matching example of how it
is being deployed in reality.

8. ECO-DYSTOPIAS AND THE
WATERWORLD
DYSTOPIA 1

9. STREAMING OUR WAY TO A WATERY
GRAVE
CYBER-DYSTOPIA 1

10. BLACK MIRROR WORLD
DYSTOPIA 2

11. (WE ARE LIVING IN) BLACK MIRROR
WORLD
DYSTOPIA 2

12. TECHBROCRACY
DYSTOPIA 3

13. CHOOSE YOUR TECH BRO
DYSTOPIA 3

14. (OR SISTER)
DYSTOPIA 3

15. WHO WOULD EVER FALL FOR THIS?
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING…

16. RISE OF THE MACHINES
DYSTOPIA 4

17. DATA SILKWORMS
DYSTOPIA 4

18. I, FOR ONE, WELCOME OUR NEW
ROBOTIC OVERLORDS
OBLIGATORY ROKO’S BASILISK SLIDE

19. SURVEILLANCE
DYSTOPIA 5

20. PRIVATE
DYSTOPIA 5

21. PUBLIC
DYSTOPIA 5

22. CENTRALITY
DYSTOPIA 6

23. ANDRES, STOP TRYING TO MAKE
CENTRALITY HAPPEN…
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING…

24. CENTRALITY

25. CONCLUDING…

26. I CAN’T FINISH ON SUCH
A NEGATIVE NOTE, SO…

27. A NEW HOPE

28. @TECHNOLLAMA
May you live in less interesting times