Data Extraction, Materiality and Agency

"I shall reconsider human knowledge by starting from the fact that we can know more than we can tell." (Polanyi 1967).

This seminar will focus on exploring the Internet, through embodied knowledge. Embodied knowledge unfolds as a key vehicle to this seminar, as far from being a "cloud", the Internet articulates around a gigantic obfuscated maze of tangled contingencies which, ubiquitously, traverses millions of bodies (both human, and non-human) spread all over the world. 'Without the bodily, we would not be able to organize ourselves in our environment: we will not know where/what we are, what/how we are learning or how we can communicate about our feelings, experiences and modes of being'. In other words, our bodily experiences influence our actions in the social world. Moreover, our physical sensations and experiences are not just personal but have social and political dimensions, and are in a constant state of change and development. Neuroscientific research has shown that cognitive systems are deeply intertwined with bodily sensibility. This means that our perception and actions are not just controlled by our brain in isolation but are deeply connected to our bodily experiences, which in turn, are shaped within specific cultural and contextual frameworks. In the complex and often non-transparent realm of the digital economy, especially within the Internet, parallels can be drawn to Marx's Theory of Alienation. Here, users are increasingly distanced not only from the tangible benefits of their online activity but also from the awareness that their interactions constitute a form of labour. In such scenario, reclaiming the role of the body is not just critical, but a radical political act to confront the increasing asymmetries of power within this system.

The main goal of the seminar is to somatize the entrenched contingencies that construct the Internet, including algorithms, tracking technologies, devices, data centers, electricity, marketers, designers, engineers, CEOs, user data and foremost, money. This process is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the relationships that exist between the Internet, a global mega infrastructure at the service of capital, and its influence on the organization and disposition of our bodies and minds.

Guest speakers in the winter term 2024/25:

• Marloes de Vaelk
  
• Mar Medina