[iDC] (belated) Introduction: The Internet as Playground and Factory

[Jonah Bossewitch]

Hi Everyone,

I have been lurking on idc for a while and desperately trying to catch
up on this thread before interrupting with an introduction.  Hopeless.

I (http://alchemicalmusings.org/about/) am a full time technical
architect at Columbia's Center for New Media Teaching and Learning and
also chipping away at a PhD in communications at the Journalism school.
I am investigating the politics of memory (transparency/surveillance &
privacy) especially at the intersection of  corruption in psychiatry and
big pharma.  As a longtime free software developer, I am also an
activist for free culture (and mad pride), and these discourses form the
substrate of my research.

I had the pleasure of co-presenting with Tevor at the Left Forum on a
panel on Internet Labor where we discussed playgrounds and factories. I
grew up playing in adventure (or junk) playgrounds
(http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_your_park/historical_signs/hs_historical_sign.php?id=11939)
- where play was hard work.

I am quite curious to hear this group's thoughts on the communications
coming out of Iran right now. Does it even still make sense to talk
about these crowdsourced reporting functions as labor?

This tool didn't quite make it out in time to be in play during this
crisis, but as a thought experiment, I think it jams up the spokes in
this conversation:

http://blog.ushahidi.com/index.php/2009/02/04/crisis-info-crowdsourcing-the-filter/
http://swiftapp.org/


Pleasure meeting everyone.

best regards,
/Jonah