Name : Nancy Kamperveen Time : 15:00 - 17:30 Subject: Desire to be wired Date : Friday 19 January |
| Every medium becomes what you use
it for The desire to be wired is mostly created by corrupt corporations that use advertising to give people solutions for problems they don't have.This was the opening statement of the first speaker in a series of performance-lectures that took place in Paradiso friday afternoon. So far nothing new; the sole purpose of advertising is to create desire. So AT&T makes an advertisement in which a man climbs a mountain and receives a call from his wife on his wristwatch when he reaches the top of the mountain. For the phonecompany this is just another way to sell. The second speaker also felt quite negative about the way big corporations are using the new opportunities provided by the latest developments in hi-tech. He also had a grudge against WIRED magazine. In his eyes it is hypocritical since while it is pretending to look into the future of mankind, in fact it is looking back to the previous century.Example? Take the idea of artificial intelligence. It is nothing more than a reappearance of slavery, just without using human beings for it. Take out the guild part, you might say, but apart from that you're back to square one. Is this true? Are we heading for a new worldwide society in which everyone is glued to their terminals, logged in 24 hours a day, doing nothing but produce and produce all the time? I don't think so. Looking into the future is not something mankind has done with a lot of succes. Drawing a line from what was there, to what is now and to what will come cannot incorporate all onforseen changes that are coming. Simply because we don't know them. Every action has a reaction. Every movement generates an anti-movement. Every medium becomes what you use it for. Worst-case scenarios come true if you believe in them strong enough.
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