[iDC] Net (dot) Geo. The emergence of the geospatial web

Wed Jan 21 23:38:50 UTC 2009

Dear John: 

Thanks for your comments on my brief text.

What you say remind me about some essays that came out around 2004 focused
on the question if locative media might challenge, or be complicit with
coercive forms of social control, and on the possibilities to transform that
new system of domination into a participatory and critical milieu.

Maybe Drew Hemment’s text “Locative dystopia”
http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-0401/msg00021.html   is one
of the best examples of these early works. It is also interesting the
article “Exhibiting Locative Media” based on selected postings from the New
Media Curating discussion list
http://www.metamute.org/en/Exhibiting-Locative-Media-CRUMB-discussion-postin
gs   

On my opinion, although accepting that 'locative media' represents an
avantgarde of the 'society of control' I am quite optimistic about the ways
that “locative utopia” rubs up against the “dystopian” (using Hemments's
words) situation of total control, and about its potential for enriching the
(social) experience of the shared digital/spatial dimensions of a place
 I
will try to post soon another text in which I go into that in depth.

Thanks!

"Saludos" from Madrid

Best,

Juan 

-----Mensaje original-----
De: idc-bounces at mailman.thing.net [mailto:idc-bounces at mailman.thing.net] En
nombre de John Hopkins
Enviado el: miércoles, 21 de enero de 2009 16:50
Para: iDC at mailman.thing.net
Asunto: Re: [iDC] Net (dot) Geo. The emergence of the geospatial web

Nice overview!  A quick morning observation:

>   (1) GPS (Global Positioning) System was authorized by the U.S. Congress
>in 1973 and was used by the U.S. Department of Defence.

This as a foot note when talking about political dissent and critical
practices???

This should read: funding approved by the US Congress (as it 'approves' a
Department of Defense budget every year, sometimes discussing specific
weapons systems such as the GPS) and was deployed AND controlled (not merely
used!) by the DOD.

Again, if the essay uses the term "political dissent" in passing, a deeper
discussion of the relationship of this ENTIRE system to the military would
seem necessary.  If you limit your discussion to the play that occurs within
Consumer Techno-Capitalism, playing with the toys spun out of the Military
-Industrial system...

This has been a recurring amnesia in the development of 'locative' media
since its 'beginning' in 2004. The assumption is to newbies when they get
their GPS-enabled telephone that there are ONLY positive impacts on their
life (as the marketing is clearly communicating to them), and that there is
nothing remotely negative in being/becoming more-or-less dependent on that
system and, in some worst-case scenarios (political dissent!), LOCATED by
that system!

It is very important to recall that ALL the developments that you mention in
the article rest on this base.  And, if suggesting a call to 'political
dissent' via this tool, you are doing a disservice to your readers not to be
more explicit as they might be the ones to pay a dear price for carrying
their telly with them next time they are dissenting!

Cheers,
John

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