dr. G. Lovink (IAM) The principle of notworking - Concepts in Critical Internet Culture. (PDF; 2196 KB)(English)

Media theorist, net critic and activist dr. Geert Lovink focusses in this public lecture on three conceptual fields: the relation between multitude, network and culture,the art of collaboration and ‘free cooperation ’, and finally he presents elements of a theory of ‘organized networks ’.

Lovink critically observes the network dilemmas in the age of smartmobs and describes the impact of smartmobs, social software and social networking.

(..) “A key question of my recent work has been how networks deal with the ‚Äö√Ñ√≤frus-trated ‚Äö√Ñ√¥,those who breach the consensus culture.After 9/11 and the following instalment of a global security regime,this is no longer such an odd question. The age of the ‚Äö√Ñ√≤true believer ‚Äö√Ñ√¥ is over,,as amateur mass psychologist Eric Hoffer (1951) described this twentieth century figure in his study on mass move-ments. Networks are ultimately an obstacle for those who want to sacrifice their lives for a holy cause. To use networks for propaganda purposes is pos-sible but not as effective as old school broadcast media.”.

The videostream of this public lecture delivered in Amsterdam on February 24 2005

transcript of the public lecture (in dutch)

earlier on Smartmobs ‘Uncanny networks’

Geert Lovink is Lector Interactive Media on the Hogeschool of Amsterdam