Who wins in a data-driven world?
Society is getting smarter: more data-driven, more Internet-connected, more automated. We’re told this is what progress looks like, but at what cost? Through spoken-word poetry, Jathan will open with a picture of a possible near future in which social credit scoring is integrated into the fabric of smart cities. He’ll use this framework to explore the past, present, and future of networked technologies, and their real-world applications in a socio-political context. In an age where information is increasingly being used to monitor, manage and monetise decisions, we need to question, who is it that wins? Is there a better alternative?
Bio
By studying the socio-political aspects of digital systems, Jathan Sadowski casts a critical eye on smart technologies. His research seeks to uncover the often hidden values, people, and organisations that influence, and benefit from, the design and use of smart technology. As a postdoctoral research fellow in smart cities, Jathan is concerned with understanding how cities are being changed and captured by a wide-range of technologies—such as ubiquitous surveillance, powerful data analytics, and massive digital platforms—which are often created, owned, and/or operated by wealthy corporations. His forthcoming book, Too Smart: A Guide to Digital Capitalism, analyses how the imperatives of data collection and control, of profit and power, are now materialised by smart tech. He argues, instead of only worrying about how we use digital devices, we should pay more attention to how others use these systems to make decisions about our lives.
8:00pm @Café Lounge, 277 Goulburn St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Also speaking at this location at 6:30pm is Anika Gauja
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