[-empyre-] Geert Lovink: Resolution for Digital Futures

[Timothy Murray]

Geert Lovink
Seven Resolutions for 2009

1. Radical makeover of Indymedia into an irresistible network of 
networks, aimed to link local initiatives, worldwide, that aim to 
bring down corporate capitalism. In order to do this Indymedia needs 
to go beyond the (alternative) news paradigm. This is the time to do 
it. If not now, when? The debate should be about the possible 
adaptation, or perhaps transcendence (think negative dialectics) of 
the social networking approach. Is it enough if we all start to 
twitter? Perhaps not. A lot of the online conversations at the moment 
circle around these topics. There is a real momentum building up 
here, and that's exciting.

2. Renaissance of theory, radical texts that appeal to young people 
and help them to dream again, aimed to develop critical concepts,
cool memes and audio-visual whispers that can feed the collective 
imagination with new, powerful ideas that are capable to move people 
into action. Theory, in this context, means speculative philosophies, 
not academic writing or hermetic bible texts, aimed to exclude 
outsiders and those with the wrong belief system. Overcoming 
political correctness in the way that beats populism would be the way 
to go.

3. Dismantling the academic exclusion machine. With this I mean the 
hilarious peer review dramas that we see around us everywhere, aimed 
to reproduce the old boys networks, excluding different voices, 
discourses and networked research practices. We need to have the 
civil courage to say no to these suppressive and utterly wrong 
bureaucratic procedures that, in the end, result in the elimination 
of quality, creativity and criticism (and, ironically, of innovation, 
too). In the same way we need to unleash a social movement of those 
who dare to say no to all these silly copyright contracts that we're 
forced to sign. We should stop signing away our 'intellectual 
property' and begin to radicalize and help democratize and popularize 
the creative commons and floss movements.

4. Overcoming media genres and expertise prisons in order to 
productively connect our knowledge and experience. With this I do not 
mean diplomatic gestures to open up token channels for 
interdisciplinary dialogue. Any formal attempt to bring together 
people from different backgrounds is bound to fail. What might be a 
solution is to go for hybrid-pervert situations in order to 
investigate the absurd edges of the knowledge universe. Again, any 
model that somehow wants to move towards a synthesis (or convergence) 
is doomed to be irrelevant and will only be instrumentalized in 
institutional restructurings in which the creative-subversive 
elements are the ones that will be excluded.

5. Squatting the overlooked ruins of the 2009 crisis. There is an 
enormous economic infrastructure that is being abandoned at the 
moment, ripe to be socialized. The problem, however, is that we do 
not really 'see' it, in the same way as in the 1970s and 80s many did 
not see the subversive potential of squatting warehouses, factories 
and old housing stock. Luckily this is merely a matter of start 
wearing the right pair of glasses. Put them on and you discover an 
abundance of abandoned resources, ready to be re-used.

6. Global crackdown of the corporate consultancy class. We have to 
get a better understanding of the dubious role that the Ernst & 
Young/PricewaterhouseCooper etc. consultants are playing, from 
downsizing firms, coaching NGOs and global civil society 
professionals, privatizing public infrastructure, to running entire 
education sectors. Not only are they experts in cooking the books 
(see the dotcom crash). Their role as (invisible) advisers, speech 
writers and PR managers needs some serious investigative journalism a 
la Naomi Klein.

7. Opening channels for collective imagination. It's not enough to 
say that another world is possible (we know that). Radical reform 
plans are available-and are being implemented as we speak-by the 
bankrupt neo-liberal elites, in a desperate attempt to somehow make 
it to 2010 or 2011, when the recession will be over and old policies 
can be continued again. It's not enough to be satisfied with the 
promise of a green GM car, made in the USA. We can think, and build, 
so much more. For this to happen, the corporate elites need to be 
dispossessed of their power. Calling for 'change' comes with 
consequences: dethronement. Sorry, you fu*ked up badly. It's time to 
step down and move on. Exit.

--

Geert Lovink (Netherlands) is a Dutch-Australian media theorist, 
author of Zero Comments, and director of the Institute of Network 
Cultures in Amsterdam, where he also teaches at the new media masters 
program of Mediastudies/University of Amsterdam.

-- 
Renate Ferro and Tim Murray
Co-Moderators, -empyre- a soft-skinned-space
Department of Art/ Rose Goldsen Archive of New Media Art
Cornell University