Live Crosstalks radio sessions on digital pollution as part of the CPDP conference.
The internet is too often seen as something intangible. However, the internet is affecting every aspect of our lives, institutions and society. An increasing amount of energy is required to power everything from sending and receiving emails, using search engines and social media, and storing all that data. The digital emission is about 3% of the global CO2 emission, comparable to and as fast increasing as emissions of aviation. This is one challenge with digital toxins. Another one is even harder to detect: increasing anxiety, polarization, the illusion of shared context and the loss of trust.
It’s high time to hack the misleading metaphors of the digital. ‘Home’ is not a guarantee for privacy, the ‘Cloud’ is a bare metal infrastructure rather than a server virtualization and ‘Free’ is neither ‘gratis’ nor unconditional.
As with environmental pollution, an un-disciplinary approach imposes itself, involving academic research from engineering, psychology, design, corporate world to activists, artists and policymakers. The Crosstalks x The Word sessions during the CPDP Conference in Brussels aims at generating awareness as a first step to a manifesto for action.
PROGRAM
Tune in for our radio broadcast on:
- Wednesday 22.01 - 16:00-17:00: interactive introduction session on digital pollution with studio guests Ine Van Zeeland (VUB), Jo Pierson (VUB) - TBC
- Thursday 23.01 - 16:00-17:00: talk with Joana Moll (Critical Interface Politics), Rita De Graeve (policy), Luc Deleu (architect-artist), Pieter Ballon (VUB - Vrije Universiteit Brussel) and Jacques Vermeulen (Nokia).
