In this episode, we talked about a conceptually infuriating (for me) app owned by Amazon that has you play games and take quizzes to find the next streaming media for you to watch. Does “the algorithm” work? Why is finding something to watch akin to work, now?
David Golumbia retrospective, part 1: "Is Wario cyberlibertarian?" – Literally 2 Cents About Content!
Alex and Liz discuss only some of the works of linguist, philosopher, and academic David Golumbia, including:
The Cultural Logic of Computation (2009)
The Politics of Bitcoin: Software as Right-Wing Extremism (2016)
Cyberlibertarianism: The Right-Wing Politics of Digital Technology (2024)
Technology and Silicon Valley are often associated with left-leaning politics. Still, various causes (SOPA/PIPA discourse, internet publication and copyright discourse, digital innovation) have roots in libertarian or conservative and reactionary narratives. Golumbia’s work shows that it’s difficult (read: impossible) to divorce reactionary values from Silicon Valley and its staunchest supporters.
Reading list:
The Great White Robot God
A declaration of the independence of cyberspace
The Language of Science and the Science of Language: Chomsky's Cartesianism
Liz Cultivates | L.M. Fern 
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