Accountability (39)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 5 min
- Citylab
- 2019
Currently, the idea of “smart cities” are so theoretical and predicated on the idea of “technochauvinism” that they mostly exist in images which sell the ideas of ever-advancing technology and application of futuristic technologies to urban centers as a cash cow waiting to be milked.
- Citylab
- 2019
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- 5 min
- Citylab
- 2019
The 3 Pictures That Explain Everything About Smart Cities
Currently, the idea of “smart cities” are so theoretical and predicated on the idea of “technochauvinism” that they mostly exist in images which sell the ideas of ever-advancing technology and application of futuristic technologies to urban centers as a cash cow waiting to be milked.
What is a smart city, at least in theory? What might be left out of the phenomenon (urban life) that smart cities attempt to abstract in the creation of a smart city? What priorities come with envisioning a smart city, and who is or should be in control of this?
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- 15 min
- ARS Technica
- 2019
Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, is facing problems and will take a long time to develop. While it is attempting to mirror the bitcoin blockchain network in its ideology and functionality, there are significant barriers to reaching this vision, the most prominent of which being that its existence as a subsidy of Facebook means there cannot be decentralized control or accountability.
- ARS Technica
- 2019
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- 15 min
- ARS Technica
- 2019
There’s a big problem with Facebook’s Libra cryptocurrency
Facebook’s cryptocurrency, Libra, is facing problems and will take a long time to develop. While it is attempting to mirror the bitcoin blockchain network in its ideology and functionality, there are significant barriers to reaching this vision, the most prominent of which being that its existence as a subsidy of Facebook means there cannot be decentralized control or accountability.
What are the differences between Bitcoin and Libra cryptocurrencies? How does Libra embody technocratic control in a way that Bitcoin does not? Should this new cryptocurrency network be above governmental regulation? What would be the consequences of this?
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- 7 min
- Wall Street Journal
- 2019
Large firms in the United States are becoming far more resilient to cyber attacks, primarily through larger spending and higher prioritization of security. This is especially important as digital hacking escalates conflicts between global nations.
- Wall Street Journal
- 2019
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- 7 min
- Wall Street Journal
- 2019
U.S. Companies Learn to Defend Themselves in Cyberspace
Large firms in the United States are becoming far more resilient to cyber attacks, primarily through larger spending and higher prioritization of security. This is especially important as digital hacking escalates conflicts between global nations.
How might small businesses fit into this picture? How could cyber security development be more oriented toward the public good? How can tech corporations help the government in a age which seems to be tending toward digital mutually assured destruction?
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- 13 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
In this episode, Bing Madsen is one of many citizens who provide power to the digital world through spending each day on a stationery bike, which earns him “merits” to spend on both leisure activities and necessities. These laborers, along with all other classes, are constantly surrounded by screens in which their digital avatars can participate in virtual activities like biking on a road or being in a “live” studio audience. The reality competition show “Hot Shot” is one program streamed on these screens. In this narrative, Bing conspires to grab the attention of the world on stage, proclaiming that the whole digital world is fake and has brainwashed the laborers into providing power while upper classes get more leisure and enjoyment. This eventually lands him with his own talk show, where he recreates his suicide threats for sensational content in exchange for a more lucrative lifestyle.
- Kinolab
- 2011
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- 13 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
Technological Immersion, Digital Underclasses, and Attention Economies
In this episode, Bing Madsen is one of many citizens who provide power to the digital world through spending each day on a stationery bike, which earns him “merits” to spend on both leisure activities and necessities. These laborers, along with all other classes, are constantly surrounded by screens in which their digital avatars can participate in virtual activities like biking on a road or being in a “live” studio audience. The reality competition show “Hot Shot” is one program streamed on these screens. In this narrative, Bing conspires to grab the attention of the world on stage, proclaiming that the whole digital world is fake and has brainwashed the laborers into providing power while upper classes get more leisure and enjoyment. This eventually lands him with his own talk show, where he recreates his suicide threats for sensational content in exchange for a more lucrative lifestyle.
How can technology be used/how is technology used to pacify the masses? What connection can you make to the society depicted here and the way that social media and other digital companies use data to make profits? How can digital technologies become a breeding ground for sensational content, and can this problem be fixed? Can anyone be “unplugged” and successful in our reality? How do internet communities commodify authenticity?
Black Mirror: Bing Wakes Up-
- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
CW: Violence and Genocide
Stripe is a soldier in a generic war who, like all of his other fellow soldiers, is connected to a brain-computer interface known as a MASS implant that provides him with information about targets and missions. The supposed goal of the fighting is to “protect” citizens from roaches, the disturbing humanoid monsters which Stripe hunts and kills within the cabin. Directly after Stripe is hit with a digital device held by one of the roaches, he watches his squadmate kill a “roach” that Stripe perceived as a human. Ultimately, one of the roaches and the military psychologist Arquette explain exactly how the MASS implants alter the soldiers’ perceptions of their surroundings and their targets.
- Kinolab
- 2016
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
The Militarization of the Digital Alteration of Reality
CW: Violence and Genocide
Stripe is a soldier in a generic war who, like all of his other fellow soldiers, is connected to a brain-computer interface known as a MASS implant that provides him with information about targets and missions. The supposed goal of the fighting is to “protect” citizens from roaches, the disturbing humanoid monsters which Stripe hunts and kills within the cabin. Directly after Stripe is hit with a digital device held by one of the roaches, he watches his squadmate kill a “roach” that Stripe perceived as a human. Ultimately, one of the roaches and the military psychologist Arquette explain exactly how the MASS implants alter the soldiers’ perceptions of their surroundings and their targets.
How are digital technologies responsible for pushing “us vs. them” narratives relating to wars? How could VR technology make soldiers less sympathetic to their victims? What role might smaller-scale virtual realities, such as violent video games, play in this larger narrative? Should the military ever have unfettered access to cutting-edge digital development? How can empathy be prioritized in the digital age?
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2001
“Gigolo Joe” is an android sex worker in an imagined future in which “Mechas,” or humanoid robots, have risen to prominence after a climate disaster. He performs his duties without hiding the fact that he is an android.
- Kinolab
- 2001
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- 4 min
- Kinolab
- 2001
Robots and Sex Work
“Gigolo Joe” is an android sex worker in an imagined future in which “Mechas,” or humanoid robots, have risen to prominence after a climate disaster. He performs his duties without hiding the fact that he is an android.
Could robots eventually replace sex workers? What are the ethical and economic implications of this? How will machines be able to perfect seduction?