“Planetary-scale computation is an example of what may be called, after the great Polish novelist Stanislaw Lem, an ‘epistemological technology.’ The most important social impact of some technologies is not just in what they allow people to do, but in what they reveal about how the world works.” (Bratton, 3).
We are currently experiencing a significant transformation, where technology and social structures are evolving in ways that seem almost conspiratorial in their interrelation. This requires thoughtful consideration, as the repercussions of neglecting these transformations could be severe. As Hayles emphasizes, digital engagement is altering our perceptions and behaviors, showcasing the ongoing dialogue between the swift rhythm of HYPERREADING and the complexities of CLOSE READING. Similarly, Bratton’s concept of SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE highlights the collaboration between humans and machines in shaping a conscious PLANETARY FUTURE.
Simply witnessing these transformations is inadequate; we need a critical consciousness grounded in historical and contextual understanding. Brenner and Harvey argue that the influence of capitalism on urban and spatial transformations demands critical analysis—not as a means of outright dismissal, but as a dynamic force that actively shapes our environments. They introduce the concept of the URBAN PALIMPSEST, where layers of history and future possibilities coexist, continuously influencing the experiences and structures of urban life. This perspective underscores the importance of reevaluating technology and its integration into our cities, advocating for its reclamation to serve ecological and social objectives. This aligns closely with Bratton’s vision of PLANETARY-SCALE TERRAFORMING, calling for deliberate efforts to steer technological and urban development toward sustainability and shared responsibility.
The essence of consciousness lies in our capacity to guide these technologies towards their potential. Critical viewpoints such as those of Hayles and Bratton are essential as they challenge and broaden these limits constructively. Engaging with these frameworks prompts us to view technology not as an inevitability but as a tool to be reappropriated, for a sustainable future founded on shared responsibility. To do otherwise is to risk moving through a rapidly changing landscape without clarity.
KEY WORDS
– HYPERREADING: rapidly scanning and interacting with texts using various digital techniques, enabling quick navigation through vast amounts of information.
– CLOSE READING: detailed and precise examination of a text’s linguistic techniques, focusing on rhetoric, style, and language choice through a word-by-word analysis.
– SYNTHETIC INTELLIGENCE: hybridization of human and machine systems, enabling new processes of thinking that transcend individual capacities, fostering collaborative innovation, and revealing new ways to understand and interact with complex systems.
– PLANETARY FUTURE: envisions a holistic framework distinct from globalization, encompassing all living systems, non-human entities, and the planet as an interconnected totality, emphasizing sustainable coexistence and shared responsibility across ecological, social, and technological dimensions.
– URBAN PALIMPSEST: layered reading of a city’s traces, revealing its historical, cultural, and spatial transformations, where past and present coexist to shape urban identity and future possibilities.
– PLANETARY-SCALE TERRAFORMING:conscious design and transformation of Earth’s systems by humans, inspired by space exploration, to sustainably reshape the planet’s ecology, climate, and infrastructure for coexistence and resilience.
TEXTS
Katherine Hayles, ‘How We Read’, ADE Bulletin 150 (2010), pp. 62-79.
Benjamin Bratton, ‘Planetary Sapience’, NOEMA (2021).
Neil Brenner, ‘What is critical urban theory?’, City 13:2-3 (2009), pp. 198-207.
Neil Brenner and Christian Schmid, ‘Planetary Urbanization’, In Matthew Gandy ed., Urban Constellations (2012), pp. 10-13.
David Harvey, ‘Cities or urbanization?’, City: Analysis of urban trends, culture, theory, policy, action 1:1-2 (1996), pp. 38-61.
Ananya Roy, ‘What is urban about critical urban theory?’, Urban Geography 37:6 (2016) pp. 810-823.
