Reimagining the Web as we know it

Proceedings of the Inter Technology panel headed by the Council of Tropics

Date: 30th April, 2072

The world awaits the signing of the agreement of the Latitudinal Belt alliance. The signing symbolises the dawn of a new era; for the culturally forgotten, to take on the immense task of rebuilding together. In accordance with one another, seeds and soil alike, stewards of the lands that lay around the 23 degree latitude have seen their climate worsen through the years. Situated across the world, dealing with disasters on their own, they have yet experienced grief, trauma and pain together. Driven away from their homes, made to resettle closer to the poles, they have feared their identities being washed away permanently. To reclaim who they are, their past and future selves, they have now joined hands to form the alliance. As they struggle to find new lands and migrate across borders, they all aspire towards the same goal; solidarity.

The Alliance, responsible for building values of each of its constituents, has been conducting weekly meetings to slowly roll out their expansive manifestos. The Technology panel, one of the most expected gatherings, features over 300 individuals from over 43 nations. Experts and Generalists in each of their fields, with a keen interest in reimagining new networks have been called together to vote on favourable decisions, drafting values into written language.

The esteemed lawmaker of the Alliance walks forth. Dressed in billowing crimson red drapery, with dazzling streaks of gold, emanating a faint reddish hue - they take their place on the stand.

"Dear fellow humans" they bellow. Their voice carries an immense amount of sadness with an air of trepidity. Bolstering themselves with renewed vigour and hope, they start their speech.

"A century ago, long before we lost faith in our billionaire overlords, there existed the first World Wide Web. It connected people from all places through mythical networks of cables and towers. The Web was an invisible ether; meant to make all information accessible to everyone who had a connection. Not everyone knew how it functioned; that had been left to the Big Five. These five companies, headed by their respective overlords, were founded at the turn of the millennium. Initially taking control of technologies from their own garages, they slowly grew in wealth and power. They started colonising minds, and along with it, time and space. Their reach expanded the seas feeding into our homes. Our ancestors were drawn into this magical otherworld called the ‘digital’ that contained people and places they had only dreamt about. Immersing themselves into this escapist fantasy, they forgot about the real world that they were living in.

As the temperature soared and seas rose, they continued living unabated; unaware of what might befall. That was, till the deadly pandemic of 2020. Another invisible entity barged into their houses, unexpected. This time, it threatened their lives and their loved ones’. Forced back into the four walls of home, they watched the world burn outside. They were pushed back to the sight of their own reality on Earth. Living fleetingly between the physical and their digital selves, they tried to make sense of the two. Misinformation in the ‘digital’ turned into violence and deaths in the ‘Real’. While the world went through its collective turmoil, the Big Five sat, simply watching. They provided services, while taking no accountability for everything that was happening. We helped you ‘connect’, they said. Now the rest is yours to save from. Many were angry. They realised they had been fooled and farmed of their data and attention. They were just mere products being advertised to even bigger giants. Of desperation, there arose those within the Big Five, who spoke against them. These critics were silenced or fired.

Our ancestors realised it was time to turn to themselves. Using the same tool that enslaved them, they banded together across the globe, taking down stock markets and capitalist empires, causing mayhem and thus confusing corporations. They shared information aggressively, invigorating those unaware. They hid from the policing algorithms by using their seemingly trivial words. They filmed themselves and constantly streamed from their homes into others homes worldwide. They protested by making the digital world turn black. The Big Five sat through trying not to notice. The truth was, the actions of the public had shaken them down to the very foundation they were built upon.

With nowhere to hide, the Big Five turned to the government. Through influence and persuasion, they were bailed out from the losses they were accruing. As the public health system was sidelined, millions died while their taxes helped the Big Five survive. Outraged, but powerless, our ancestors stood helpless, not knowing how to turn it over.

As the Web accelerated towards excessive abundance, our ancestors were again sucked into this blackhole of infinite activity. The virus receded into the noise and the ‘Digital’ made them feel immortal. Years passed and the Big Five showed no signs of stopping. They purchased nations, seas and went to space. They formed religions, created digital caste systems and mastered the economy. They owned the land we now stand upon.

Ever since, we have seen our share of failed revolutions, unsuccessful uprisings, and put down fires - but, we will not stop here. Our movement has only grown stronger, our resolve firmer. After the last climate disaster, where we have been finally freed from the captive cables of the Big Five, we will stand to spearhead a new wave of sharing information. This new network revolution will be ours. "

As they finish the introductory speech to great cheer, they begin rolling out a lengthy bright yellow coloured fabric, screen printed with perfection. The colours stand out in the glare of the scorching sunlight; and the brightly coloured words stare loudly into the eyes of the audience.

Manifesto for a CommonWeb, 2072.

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The above is a research based speculative scenario, that involves the reimagining of a new World Wide Web. Taking inspiration from the ethics of the early Internet, open source movements and resistance tactics employed by those who operate under oppressive algorithms, the manifesto represents a possibility of how a Web shaped by the principles of collective care and community ownership might look like. Given below are the research signals that led to the creation of the manifesto:

Collective signals database:

Each of the tenets outlined take inspiration from a fringe movement happening in the present that offers radical ways of operating in the future.

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Thanks for reading! Scroll down for more cool resources.

cool resources

The Poetic Web

An experimental website by Neal

The HTML review, an internet publication

Operating under algorithms

Internet havens

A feminist guide to the past, present and future of computing

Giigi's Nails. Source: Pinterest

My first computer was gifted to me by my mother. A talented computer programmer herself, she preferred I learn programming than memorising multiplication tables at school. Almost two decades later, as I researched and wrote my undergraduate thesis on the history of information systems and the effective role of computing, I realised something. All the literature that I was reading around the advent of AI, communication theory and cybernetics came from a limited demographic; most of whom were privileged persons identifying as male and from the Global North. Take a list of the top 10 richest billionaires and you might hardly see a difference.

Growing tired of this landscape of information, I began actively seeking out voices of women who were writing and building in the technology space. I delved into the history of technology, and I realised that the role of women in computing is more profound than it may seem. Ever since Ada Lovelace who was regarded as the first programmer, to the female programmers of ENIAC and the present AI ethics and data science experts like Joy Buolamwini, Timnit Gebru (and many more) there are incredible women who are shaping the narrative of the technological industry.

Album art cover for Women in AI - (Design by Swarna Manjari)

While scanning the web for equivalent memes and parodies on feminist computing, I stumbled upon a gem of an ad. This satirical take on women in technology shows a computer model called Petticoat 5.

The twin guides to computing

As I read more, I was left inspired by the critical outlook that women brought to the current developments and the way they articulated the boons and banes of emerging technology. In an attempt to compile some of it and reveal a lesser known story, I decided to make a zine - It would be called: A (feminist) guide to the past, present and future of computing. The zine would show the history of computing technology through a chronological timeline. It would also reflect the evolution of power, design and zeitgeists through the years since the very first analog computer that was discovered in Greece called Antikythera.

The need for a feminist guide could only be made visible by the existence of another story; the one we all hear often. Thus, I decided to make a pair of zines - they would be called 'the twin guides to computing'. And to further reiterate the difference, they would be printed on a different colour of paper. Everything else would be the same - the parallel panels, the layout and typefaces. The stark contrast would enable the retelling of the forgotten story.

Purchase link to zines! - https://url.dm2buy.com/

(Currently shipping only within India)

A (feminist) guide to the past, present and future of computing. The lesser known story. Designed by Swarna Manjari

A guide to the past, present and future of computing. The well known story. Designed by Swarna Manjari

The parallel and simultaneous panel based storytelling would highlight the differences in key ways - places where women have been missed out on and other places where they have played a key role. In order to accommodate the storytelling structure, many key women have not been included yet and I wish to create expanded and extended versions of the feminist guide for future editions.

The advent of AI; Contrasting panels in the twin guides.

Folded view of the twin guides.

Presented at WTDA.io, a tech and art festival centred around our collective relationship with technology, the zines encouraged discussion and debate around key areas. I found myself agreeing and disagreeing with many points as the flow of viewers around the exhibit fluctuated; some engaged, some added onto and some listened. The overall experience was incredible as I received thoughts and opinions from people who had a keen interest in shaping narratives around tech discourse. I also launched the print editions of the twin zines for sale, and had the pleasure of saving the last pair for myself. A female participant also mentioned that I should price the blue zine higher than the pink one, as an ode to the gender pay gap in the tech industry. I happily obliged and the feminist ones sold out soon. People who came to know of the fair online reached out wanting to know more about the zines and how they could purchase them. In order to fulfill these wishes I am releasing a second print edition of the 'twin guides to computing' online!

Those who want to visit the url store can head over here - https://url.dm2buy.com/

Apart from the zines, there are additional fun stuff like stickers and charts for sale :)

(Currently shipping only within India)

And those who're interested in taking the discourse further can email me at swarnamanjaric@gmail.com .

Happy reading!

And, as usual, here's your list of cool resources.

cool resources

Women in Computing

CyberFeminism Index, by Mindy Seu

A Collective Booklet for Computational Women, by Soyun Park (crowdsourced through Google Sheets)

Archive of Lost Mothers, a speculative project by Ambika Joshi a.k.a. computational mama

A ‘Feminist’ Server to Help People Own Their Own Data, a project by Design Beku, featured on The Bastion

Narratives in Tech

On Data

The anatomy of a URL

A url is a link, directory or an address. By common definition - a unique identifier used to locate a resource anywhere on the Internet. So why URL?

uniform resource locator. Kinetic type generated on space type generator (Design and code tool by Kiel M)

the name, the idea, the question;

A new blog - a place to condense a few thoughts was always in the works. Initially, I was considering popular subscription based platform models to start the journey. The last time I had written was two years ago on Medium - a well designed platform. This time, I decided to create my own space, with a specific narrative and of course, it's own design system. (What is freedom if not choosing your own crazy fonts??! )

url - the name had struck my head like a switch that had been flipped out of no where. Luckily, the abbreviation carried enough meaning to my evolving ideas - an amalgamation of many things - real, virtual and everything in between.

the name - I had initially wanted to call it uniform resource (al)locator, (which I'm glad I didn't, thanks to a friend who pointed the complexity) because, it was going to be a space filled with thought experiments of what the world might look like with an even distribution of resources. The idea quickly died down as it had come up, and I was left with a better reason to call it the same.

A quote from Apple TV Show, Foundation

the idea - The internet is a vast evolving information system with an uneven cartography of links, words and meaning making spaces - and as much as it seems to be a sea of unlimited resources, it is governed by a strict hierarchy depending on search engines, algorithms and advertising money. There are moments of serendipity, when one stumbles upon a new Youtuber or a cool website. Overseen by omnipresent algorithms and recommendation systems, it is becoming even more difficult to locate resources apart from our own interests and biases. We are bombarded with stories and research by those who are readily funded and privileged; or subjected to facts shouted the loudest on social media platforms and fall along the accepted metrics of success (likes, comments and reshares). What we imbibe and listen to eventually reflects upon what we create; and thus, we tend to contribute to similar cycles of making new media. Slow spaces are rare - as attention is spliced, measured and sold for quicker moving goods. In this current media environment, it takes consistent efforts to seek out unheard voices, especially from underrepresented locations on our global map and from classes of people who are almost forgotten or being erased off epistemic silos.

A mix of in person conversations, intellectual discourse and thoughtful unlearning is often required to navigate this sheer amount of data so that it can transform into fruitful learning. In a time like this, curations and recommendations from real people(and not chatbots) is even more valuable. Jostling these thoughts, I began thinking of what it means to create spaces for collaborative knowledge sharing and building to happen.

the question - What would a collective crowdsourced resource list look like?

Would there be more similarities than differences? Would we take into account different cultures and criteria?

And what would an imagined future built on those resources look like? Would it favour the commons or the individual?

Resource

To think about these questions, let us dig down into what a definition of a resource in our present civilisation looks like. Let's also see what qualifies as a resource and how it is quantified within our structures.

Wikipedia defines it this way - Resource refers to all the materials available in our environment which are technologically accessible, economically feasible and culturally sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and wants.

Our environment contains various elements that fall under this definition. They can be categorised into resources that are renewable or inexhaustible (in the foreseeable future) and non renewable or in limited supply. But our modern 21st century definition, alludes to resources that are closer to digital elements like digitally created images, text and sound. Resources like money are also manufactured but how we measure its value is built upon the foundations of physical resources such as precious metal. What about other intangible resources? Happiness can be measured by chemical levels in the body, fulfillment can be measured by customer satisfaction surveys. As we try looking for more examples, it closely seems like all that is intangible can also be quantified very easily. Quantification is essential for application. To make use of something by extracting a quantum of value from it as it translates into another resource.

"We measure what we value, and we value what we measure"

The above quote was something that my dear friend Shreya introduced me to. In an alternative framework where what we value will drive what we measure and therefore how we build a product might be radically influenced by the core value of the person envisioning it. As we slowly change our existing mental models, we start seeing newer ways of expressing and creating.

In this new epistemological framework, would there be the advent of unquantifiable resources?Quite a tough and open ended question - since it's in the nature of the human observer to make sense of things by adding a label of measurement to it which has lead to the datafication of everything in our society today. The proliferation of digital tools that have binary input methods, also leads to discrete amounts of data being harvested and processed adding to the problem of surveillance and oversight. For example, a form for gender data allows for only one field to be selected; even if many options may be allowed to be chosen from. In an anecdote, Audrey Tang, the digital minister of Taiwan, who identifies as transgender, says if the same question was on paper, she would either tick both the fields(male and female). She would still be able to answer the other questions, irrespective of her subverting the system. However, when it is hard coded - it is impossible to do so - unless all the options are added. Thus the values of the person building a system directly informs the design of it.

To understand resources as flows and interactions rather than elements of measurement is critical to rebuilding structures. For example, instead of a resource map that shows us the regions where lithium is found, can we visualise one where EV cars are bought vs manufactured? The relationship between these two metrics might end up showing is the disparities in global trade along with who benefits and who faces loss. Imagine building a climate change map, on similar contexts? The results might be stark and frightening. To highlight global inequities, it is essential to bring new forms and contexts to visualising data that is not discrete, but one that tells a larger story.

Access/Abundance

The quantity of resource attributed to a particular geographic location might tell you how rich or poor that nation or country is. However, that rarely happens to be the case. The economy is a complex system (which many believe to be a hoax) that is rarely proportionate to resource. Raw material and product are separated by miles of supply chain, labour and politics that it is a very genuine miracle that it arrives on your doorstep safe and sound. Funnily, the degree of separation between you and the metal used to assemble your smartphone might be thousand fold but the separation between you and your favourite celebrity might be well less than six.

This is something the digital world has managed to flip; to outmanoeuvre the restrictions posed by physical resources into an infinite repository of information resources that when utilised well by an individual, leading to a life that three decades ago, someone might've called science fiction. This promising facade however falls apart as we probe further; much unlike an assembly line at a car factory, the digital resources and the infrastructure required to sustain them are tied into enormous physical and mental labour. The magical levers are being pushed everyday to keep the internet awake; the elves toiling in day and night succumb to the woes of capitalism as they shovel the coal to light our world up.

Thirdly, a matter of language of describing resources is something I found interesting. In the South Indian language (and my mother tongue) Tamil, resource means 'valam'. I was surprised when I found out since in spoken tongue 'valam' also means abundance or fertility. When you wish someone, you also use it the word 'vazhga valamudan' which means wishing them good health and a plentiful life. It's fascinating how a language informs meaning and value of any resource; and that in one economic system resource inherently means a space for extraction, where somewhere else resource is a symbol of prosperity.

Miracle of the commons

Another interesting way to think about resources is from the perspective of the commons. A game theory approach suggests that behaviours of competition and cooperation emerge from various agents interacting in a complex systems in a quest for resource. Dawkins put forward that altruism is essential for survival of a species and mutual cooperation is something that the 'selfish gene' enacts upon in an organism and within organisms in order for the gene's eternal survival. This balance centred between the commons and the individual takes precedence in the evolution of our social systems.

Not all decisions in current society fall on individuals; in recent years, there has been a tremendous rise in collective decision making when it comes to new investing models and even voting in companies. The whole advent of the web 3.0 idea was based on the idea of the commons. Collective intelligence projects such as pol.is harness the power of rough consensus of groups to aid in decision making. Patterns in how Gen Z invests in money show that the recession and the slow down of the economy is encouraging consumers to spend collectively on thrifting chains and joint real estate investments. Even TikTok houses that content creators live in together are micro extensions of the mega communities that they harbour worldwide. DAOs are an experiment in shared ownership and decision making when it comes to businesses that may range from making your own digital fashion to supporting your favourite pizza chain. Projects like RADAR- a community of futurists have recently launched their own Futures report based on crowdsourced signals of change.

These examples show the possibility of not only social organising but also decision making and action building based on a commons. So, going back to my initial question: is there a possibility of crowdsourced resource lists based on flimsy whims and maybe some important questions?

For instance, a resource list of:

A song that you would sing yourself during a journey to space.

The last movie that you would watch if the world were to become colourless the next day.

The documentary that made the most impact on you.

If you have more ideas, jump in! url will become a portal for people far and wide creating random, weird but hyper- curated resource lists.

If you're interested in pitching ideas please write to swarna.collab@gmail.com.

And that's the end of the resource ramble! As usual, scroll ahead for some cool resources that I found interesting.

cool resources

Democracy and Tech

How Taiwan's Unlikely Digital Minister Hacked the Pandemic, on Wired

Radical Xchange, organisation and concepts

Podcasts

Alternative Economies