The Great Seduction

I've not previously come across an article that equates Web 2.0 with Marxism, but this one does. It's arguments are erudite and persuasive. But as the author points out, the Law of Unintended Consequences ensures that anything in the world, including the Net, can be utilised in ways not anticipated or advocated by its creators (this inherent vulnerability of things also protects against rampant technological determinism.) In other words, Web 2.0 may exhibit traces of Marxist philosophy, but Web 3.0+ may not. Ironically, it could be argued that Marxism itself was vulnerable to the Law of Unintended Consequences, through its evolution into Leninism and its practical application by Stalin in the Soviet Union. The extent to which Stalinism became a corrupted analogue of Marxism is illustrated here; this example of denunciation letters is itslef an exhibit in the Museum of Unintended Consequences at California State University.

I highly recommend Andrew Keen's blog for its intellectual insights into emerging technologies.

Posted by monoman at 09:45 AM on June 22, 2006