Mike Pepi is the author of “Against Platforms”, a bold critique of the hidden costs of digital life – and a manifesto for a better future. He is also one of my best friends and someone I have been in conversation with for over a decade.
In this episode, we discuss our shared history in working to develop a new institutionalist critique of emerging technologies and platforms. The vast expansion of platforms during the 2010’s, which now encompass nearly all aspects of social life, represented a blindspot for the political left. To understand how this happened, we need to retrace the history of the 60’s counter-culture and the embrace of libertarian philosophies amongst the New Left.
Since 2011, Mike Pepi, Brad Troemel, myself and other artists and writers have been engaged in an on-going dialogue that explores the ideological roots and design of platform technologies. Mike writes:
“We have been taught that digital technologies are neutral tools, transparent, easily understood, and here to serve us. The reality, is that they are laden with assumptions and collateral consequences – ideology, in other words. And it is this hidden ideology that must be dismantled if we are to harness technology for the fullest expression of our humanity.”
Get the book:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/761644/against-platforms-by-mike-pepi/
If you’re all caught up on last week’s episode of Doomscroll, there is a subscribers only episode that can tide you over until next week. Below you can watch part 2 of my conversation with Dasha Nekrasova:
Doomscroll: Dasha Nekrasova II
This is a subscriber’s only episode. My guest is Dasha Nekrasova. We discuss Trump’s historic victory, counter elites, the class interest of precarious freelancers and the state of creative industries today.
We’re already moving full speed ahead, shooting and editing new episodes. You can expect to hear a lot from us in the coming weeks and months.
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