February 4, 2020
Notes on “The Californian Ideology”
Richard Barbrook and Andy Cameron’s 1995[a] essay “The Californian Ideology” interprets the dominant attitude about technology as a one that’s both utopian and built on a history of slavery. It traces the logical outcome of an ideology founded on Jeffersonian democracy: a dichotomous approach to technology that embraces both the “hippie radicalism” of an electronic agora[1] and the electronic marketplace of of Eisenhower liberalism. This mix of “cultural bohemianism” and high-tech industry is built on a “new faith” in the “emancipatory potential” of new media,[2] but as Barbrook and Cameron argue, it is ultimately an elitist ideology founded on exclusion and slavery. Ultimately, the essay advocates a convergence of cultural, political, and economic approaches—a “mixed economy”—to support an inclusive electronic infrastructure that guarantees inclusion, promotes a culture of creativity and innovation, and does not depend on an invisible slave class.[3]
. . .
Questions for Consideration
- What do Barbrook and Cameron mean by the “virtual class”?
- How do you understand their use of “Jeffersonian democracy” in their argument?
- How are B&C using the word “liberalism”?[b]
- What is an (electronic) agora?[4]
- Why do they call the “free market” a “myth”?
- Why do “digital artisans lead a schizophrenic existence”?[5]
- Which approach to the electronic world do Barbrook and Cameron seem to advocate?
- B&C state “the technologies of freedom are turning into the machines of dominance.”[6] What do they mean?
Notes
- ↑ While it’s now 25-years-old, I would argue it’s maybe more relevant today than it was then. However, we in the US continue to make mistakes they outline, like the FDA’s dismissal of Net Neutrality.
- ↑ See p. 11, for example.
Citations
- ↑ Barbrook & Cameron 1995, pp. 1, 3.
- ↑ Barbrook & Cameron 1995, p. 1.
- ↑ Barbrook & Cameron 1995, pp. 16–18.
- ↑ Barbrook & Cameron 1995, p. 3.
- ↑ Barbrook & Cameron 1995, p. 10.
- ↑ Barbrook & Cameron 1995, p. 13.
Work Cited
- Barbrook, Richard; Cameron, Andy (1995). "The Californian Ideology". Imaginary Futures. Retrieved 2018-08-13. All citations taken from the PDF.
