Alright, you beautiful digital misfits and tech rebels, strap in because we’re about to jack into the matrix of Our Networks 2024. This ain’t your typical tech circle jerk – we’re talking about a full-on insurgency against the digital status quo, all going down at 312 Main in Vancouver, BC.

Picture this: a gathering of the most badass, forward-thinking (and backward-looking) tech revolutionaries, all crammed into one space. The mission? To hack the future of connectivity and tell Big Tech to go fuck itself.

As the doors swung open at 9:30 AM, you could smell the rebellion in the air. By 10:00 AM, we were off to the races with a welcome address that was less “please silence your phones” and more “let’s burn this digital paradigm to the ground and dance on its ashes.”

But the real fireworks started when Lori Emerson, the badass professor from the Media Archaeology Lab at University of Colorado Boulder, took the stage. Buckle the fuck up, because we’re about to dive headfirst into a mind-bending world where the internet is optional, and the future of networks looks a whole lot like our forgotten past.

The Myth of the Digital Priesthood

Let’s start with the bullshit we’ve all been fed: that computing is some mystical art, accessible only to the chosen few. Emerson came out swinging, calling out this “software priesthood” for what it is – a bunch of gatekeepers keeping us locked out of our own digital destinies. Well, fuck that noise. She hit us with this truth bomb: “We’re always chasing that feeling that computing is difficult and exclusive. We’re not ready to give up on pushing for the forms of computing we want.” It’s time to tear down the temple and build our own digital paradise.

Local-First: The Middle Finger to Big Tech

Emerson’s not just talking about rebellion; she’s giving us the blueprint for the revolution. “Let’s use local first software,” she says, like a general rallying her troops. “Let’s use local first software. Let’s be guided by permacomputing principles and rely on solar powered servers.” This isn’t just hippie talk, my friends. This is about taking back control from the tech giants who’ve been treating our data like their personal playground.

Artists: The OG Tech Rebels Hacking the System Since Before It Was Cool

Here’s where shit gets real interesting. Dawn Walker set the stage by highlighting the pioneering work of artists in early telecommunications art. “Early experiments in telecommunications art, here in Vancouver, by artists at Western Front, Vivo Media Arts, and in Victoria Open Space,” she noted. “The artists in particular, Hank Bull, Bill Bartlett, Peggy Cady, and Paul Wong, remind us of the interplay between social coordination and technology that is required to develop and share new practices.” These aren’t just cute stories; they’re proof that the most innovative tech often comes from the fringes, not the fucking boardrooms.

The Forgotten Networks: A History Lesson in Badassery

Hold onto your hipster hats, because we’re about to take a trip down memory lane that’ll make your head spin. Emerson schooled us on networks that existed before the internet was a twinkle in ARPANET’s eye. We’re talking timesharing networks from 1961, mini computers that democratized computing in the ’60s, and the birth of TCP/IP that stitched together the patchwork quilt we now call the internet.

But here’s the kicker – this isn’t just a history lesson. It’s a fucking treasure map to alternative futures. While we’ve been jerking off to the latest social media apps, we’ve forgotten about the community-driven, non-commercial networks that used to be the norm. Time to dust off those old blueprints and build something new, don’t you think?

The Modern Internet: A Dystopian Shitshow

Emerson didn’t pull any punches when it came to our current digital hellscape. “Misinformation is a daily norm, as are tracking, surveillance, and the monetization of every single click, scroll, or pause.” Preach, sister. We’re living in a world where our every digital move is tracked, analyzed, and sold to the highest bidder. But here’s the thing – it doesn’t have to be this way.

Microbroadcasting: The Rebel Yell of the Airwaves

Now, let’s talk about microbroadcasting – the punk rock of the radio world. Emerson lit up when talking about these low-power, high-impact community networks. “Microbroadcasting is a social practice aimed at providing diverse points of view while also resisting the commodification of these points of view,” she explained. This practice involves using low-power transmitters, often under 1 watt, to reach local audiences with non-commercial content. It’s like giving a big middle finger to corporate media while shouting your truth from the rooftops. These grassroots networks emphasize localism and community engagement, providing a platform for voices typically drowned out by mainstream media.

Based in Bologna, Italy, the unlicensed radio station Radio Alice was one of the earliest instances of microbroadcasting. From 1976 to 1981, it distributed control of the airwaves across small transmitters, aiming to flatten hierarchies and use art to challenge capitalism. Similarly, Tetsuo Kogawa‘s introduction of “miniFM” in Japan in the early 1980s inspired hand-built FM transmitters with a half-mile radius. In the U.S., microbroadcasting emerged in 1983 following the police beating of Dwayne Readus, who created WTRA using a one-watt transmitter to reach his community. These examples show how microbroadcasting allows communities to resist commercialization and maintain control over their media.

DIY or Die: Building Our Own Digital Future

The Q&A session was like a war council for the digital resistance. People were hungry for ways to revive old tech, to build ethical and accessible networks, to empower communities through DIY projects. And Emerson? She’s not just talking the talk. She and her partner in crime, Dr. libi striegl, are about to drop a pamphlet called “Build Your Own Mini FM Transmitter.” It’s part of their “Other Networks for Everyone” series, because fuck gatekeeping – technology should be for everyone.

The Takeaway: Reclaim, Rebuild, Resist

So, what’s the big fucking deal about all this? It’s simple – we’ve been sold a bill of goods with the current internet. It’s centralized, commercialized, and about as free as a bird in a gilded cage. But Emerson’s talk was a rallying cry, a reminder that we have the power to build something different.

We don’t have to accept surveillance as the price of connection. We don’t have to let corporations dictate how we communicate. We can look to the past – not with nostalgia, but with the eyes of revolutionaries seeking blueprints for a better future.

The Call to Action: Be the Digital Revolution

Here’s your homework, you beautiful digital punk rockers:

1. Embrace local-first software like it’s your new religion.
2. Start a permacomputing project. Solar-powered Raspberry Pi, anyone?
3. Dive into the history of alternative networks. Knowledge is power, bitches.
4. Experiment with building your own mini networks. FM transmitters, mesh networks – go wild.
5. Support and use non-commercial platforms. Mastodon, Blue Sky – give the bird to the blue bird.
6. Get involved in community tech projects. Be the change you want to see in the digital world.
7. Spread the word. Share this knowledge. Be the virus that infects the system with rebellion.

Remember, as Emerson showed us, the future of the internet isn’t set in stone. It’s a canvas waiting for us to paint our wild, decentralized, community-driven masterpiece. The tools are there, the knowledge is out there, and now, thanks to badasses like Lori Emerson, we’ve got the inspiration.

So, what are you waiting for? The digital revolution won’t televise itself. It’s time to unplug from the matrix, rewire our connections, and build a network that serves us, not surveils us. Let’s make some beautiful digital chaos together.

Stay rebellious, stay curious, and for fuck’s sake, stay weird. The future of our networks depends on it.

#DigitalRebellion #OurNetworks2024 #UnpluggedAndUnchained