A sociological critique of Workers' emancipation in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. An in depth analysis of technology as a public policy over the world, which shows that our current...Show moreA sociological critique of Workers' emancipation in the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. An in depth analysis of technology as a public policy over the world, which shows that our current societies are not ready for the mass technological unemployment and digital inequality that is growing.Show less
This thesis will underline the ongoing changes in European Foreign Policy in the context of digital diplomacy (ranging from cyber diplomacy to techplomacy) and will provide options for further...Show moreThis thesis will underline the ongoing changes in European Foreign Policy in the context of digital diplomacy (ranging from cyber diplomacy to techplomacy) and will provide options for further cooperation with technological companies from Silicon Valley, often referred to as Big Tech. First, I will argue that there is currently a diplomatic deficit created by the lack of diplomatic interaction between traditional actors and the new powerful non-state actors that are Big Tech. Second, I will observe the current means, objectives and actions the EU is deploying to interact with these companies and analyse the benefits and effectiveness of its strategy. Finally, I will provide recommendations, based on currently existing models of representation and means of communication between state and non-state actors, to improve the EU’s reach and influence in Silicon ValleyShow less
Textile had a major ceremonial role in the Inca empire, and is therefore often researched in Andean archaeology. However, the focus is often on either the production process of the cloth, or on the...Show moreTextile had a major ceremonial role in the Inca empire, and is therefore often researched in Andean archaeology. However, the focus is often on either the production process of the cloth, or on the symbolic value. These approaches are rarely combined. This research focusses on the clothing of five Inca Capacocha mummies: The three individuals from mount Llullaillaco, the young boy from mount El Plomo, and the female adolescent from mount Ampato. The connection between the technology and the meaning of the woven garments is investigated through literature analysis. Technology and style meet in the structure of the textile, as the design is embedded in and part of the woven fabric itself, and the completeness of the structure can be considered a stylistic feature. The two aspects also meet in what the designs depict. These are abstract patterns that represent symmetry, repetitions, contrasts and inversions, all concepts that are found back in Inca socio-political systems, ideology, and the actual structure of woven cloth. Finally, technology meets symbology in the artisans, the people who infuse the raw material with meaning through the process of production. Their social identity and their investment of labour and time gives the textile its value and prestigious status. Treating textile as the unity that it is, brings us one step closer to understanding the people involved in the production and consumption of these goods. When approached holistically, textile holds the potential to inform us on culturally specific ideas, preferences, and values within a society, through the messages that it carries within both its structure and symbols.Show less
This essay examines the societal and psychological repercussions of technology and techniques commonly employed in digital media. It identifies the workings of human attention and its exploitation...Show moreThis essay examines the societal and psychological repercussions of technology and techniques commonly employed in digital media. It identifies the workings of human attention and its exploitation as a major gateway for external influence to undermine the authoritative and intentional use of digital media. The ability to attract human attention is central to the business models of the largest digital companies today. By attracting and redirecting human attention towards advertisement, collecting valuable data in the process, companies like Alphabet, Amazon or Facebook turn major parts of their profits. It is proposed that the capability to attract human attention as a resource is best approached by understanding it as a form of capital in the tradition of Pierre Bourdieu. It, therefore, differentiates between incorporated, institutionalized and objectified attention capital. Objectified attention capital is of special interest since it resembles the material means to attract attention, including the digital infrastructure, server farms, algorithms and social media platforms owned by large corporations. With this focus on attention, the interplay between the human mind and the technologies employed can be traced, revealing the structural undermining of human intention by technological and economic rationale. The reversal of the roles of consumer and media are then diagnosed, implying the exploitation of the consumer as an end to generate behavioral surplus data and profits, overruling the original intent of the consumer in the process. The effects of this reversal and subsequent loss of human control are then embedded in the works of Jürgen Habermas and his concept of colonization. It is demonstrated, how the functioning of objectified attention capital is colonizing ever new areas of everyday life, subsuming and assimilating it under its logic. Four major repercussions of this process are finally laid out: Firstly, the formalization and decline of public debate. Utilizing the Habermasian terminology of the public sphere (Habermas, 1962), detrimental effects of objectified attention capital on the public debate are identified including the fragmentation of knowledge, leading to ‘post-truth’ politics, as well as the commodification of public discourse that takes away its spontaneity and with it its emancipatory momentum. Secondly, this approach is extended and applied to the democratic process, where the amplification and encouragement of moral outrage on digital platforms by filter-mechanisms of objectified attention capital are demonstrated. Referencing the works of Jan-Werner Müller (2016) and James Williams (2018), the populist tendencies of the increasing moral outrage are traced. Thirdly, the biases in attentional big data are brought forth that discriminate against women and minorities, since the data sets employed in objectified attention capital are often skewed, reproducing one-sided world views. Finally, the loss of human attention is understood as a decrease in human autonomy, increasing the control of technology over the future of humanity. However, utilizing the analytical tool of attention capital, several areas where steps against this development can be undertaken are identified, focusing on the regulation of objectified attention capital and the democratizing potential of institutionalized and incorporated attention capital.Show less
