First Announcement:

My First Recession
Critical Internet Culture in Transition
 By Geert Lovink
 
V2_Publishers, Rotterdam, 2003 (launch September 12, 2003)
  
My First Recession starts when the party is over. The study maps the transition of critical Internet culture from the mid-late nineties Internet euphoria up until the dotcom crash and the subsequent downfall of the global financial markets and ‘911.’ Ignoring techno-libertarians who blame governments for the ‘tech wreck,’ the study sets out to critically examine contemporary Internet culture. What happens when new media become widespread? After having a good laugh about absurd dotgone business plans it is time to prepare for the tough battles ahead. Internet wars are on the rise. Fueled by spam, virusses and server attacks, tensions on the ever-expanding Net have increased dramatically. Open, egalitarian Internet communities have become vulnerable. The ‘online Other’ is no longer met with hospitality. The general climate has become one of paranoia, conspiracy and distrust. Every downloaded email or piece of software can turn out to be a fatal Trojan horse.

Internet critic Geert Lovink looks into the ambivalent attitude of artists and activists take as they switch back and forth between euphoria and scepticism. The book contains case studies of dotcoms, the internal dynamics of virtual communities, the stagnant situation of online audio and video, debates over how new media can be taught and designs for a ‘free software society’. The central question is which information architectures deal best with information overload. How can Internet as an unfinished project maintain its liberty? Is filtering contrary to the philosophy of openness? Do peer-to-peer networks such as Napster, weblogs and wireless networks offer a way out of the growing discontent around new media? My First Recession is a contribution to the dialogue between citizens, designers, programmers, business and governments to shape the global network society. The information infrastructure is too important to be left to technologists or e-commerce consultants.

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Currents in Critical Internet Culture

Post-speculative Internet Theory, Three Positions: Castells, Dreyfus, Lessig

Anatomy of Dotcommania, Overview of Recent Literature

Deep Europe and the Kosovo Conflict, a History of the V2_East/Syndicate Network

Principles of Streaming Sovereignty, a History of the Xchange Network

The Battle over New Media Art Education, Models and Experiences

Oekonux and the Free Software Model, From Linux to the GPL-Society

Defining Open Publishing, Of Lists and Weblogs

Conclusion: Boundaries and Sustainable Models.

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