This month we talk with Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias. Nick is a professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory in the Department of Media and Communications at London School of Economics. Ulises is a professor of Communication Studies and the director of the Institute for Global Engagement at SUNY Oswego. They recently co-authored a book called ‘The Costs of Connection: How Data is Colonizing Human Life and Appropriating it for Capitalism.’ This book explores the role that data and data production plays in the modern world and the concept of data colonialism. Data colonialism is a form of appropriation of human life set up so data can be continuously extracted profit that benefits companies operating in the capitalist system. They are not using the word colonialism metaphorically – this is an emergent order based on the same extractivist logic that has enabled the colonial project over the last 500 years. We discuss how data colonialism operates on multiple levels and has effects further reaching than most imagine. We discuss how we (humans) are simultaneously producing the data through our actions (e.g. swiping our smartphone, cruising social media, or even in some cases through opening our fridge) and falling victim to the consequences of big business owning our data en masse.

Here is more information about their book: https://colonizedbydata.com

Tweet at Nick: @couldrynick

Projects:

Here is the home page for the Tierra Común network (jointly founded with Paola Ricaurte): https://www.tierracomun.net

The wiki page for the Non-Aligned Technologies Movement: https://nonalignedtech.net

Other:

Sorry We Missed You - film directed by Ken Loach: https://sorrywemissedyou.co.uk/

EXALT Symposium October 2020:

https://www.helsinki.fi/en/conferences/exalt-2020/exalt-symposium-2020