<synthesis> ... and go! welcome to the central INC list

[Geert Lovink]

Dear all,

sorry, it took a few days to announce this initiative here and there and wait for more people to sign up but today’s the day: synthesis has started!

To recapitulate, here is my call again, which explain the background of the new list:

Dear all,

while we’re still publishing a lot, trying to facilitate critical reflection on the corona with diaries and essays from around the world, we’re also planning a restart of INC as three of five staff left because of various circumstances, leaving me and Miriam Rasch as the core team.

Digital publishing research and output will continue, as will the MoneyLab network that just got a board. The board can be rearched here: moneylab-board at networkcultures.org <mailto:moneylab-board at networkcultures.org>. As MoneyLab #8 Ljubjana was cancelled because of the corona crisis it turned into a weekly online lecture series.

However, with a considerable legacy of projects, networks, publications and a heavy website aka archive, we noticed that we had to spend more and more time just on the maintainance work. It became harder to start new things (also due to changes in the Dutch funding structures). Finally we’re about to do something about this.

As a start, five mailinglists (MoneyLab, Video Vortex, re-search, Unlike Us and CPOV) have been discontinued and have been replaced by one INC list (also responding to the widespread idea of email being a ‘dead medium’).

If you want, please subscribe here:  http://listcultures.org/mailman/listinfo/inc-synthesis_listcultures.org <http://listcultures.org/mailman/listinfo/inc-synthesis_listcultures.org>

The synthesis list has three objectives:

1. To inform the wider net community about INC projects and activities.

2. To foster debates about net criticism, tactical media, hacktivism and research into critical network cultures from multiple perspectives such as design and the arts, activism and research.

3. To create links between different INC research fields that were previous running as different projects about online video, crypto currencies, search, social media, future of art criticism etc.

The name 'synthesis' expresses a desire to overcome different disciplines, fields and scenes in order to strengthen the critical forces in arts, tech and society.

Soon we will see what other new channels will work to debate, maintain communities, inform and support each other. Please approach us if you have ideas and suggestions, also for common projects, grants, publications, campaigns and other forms of poetry.

Keep on questioning, Geert and the INC team

—

On Monday May 25, 2020 237 people subscribed, that’s a decent amount, wellcome you all!

In terms of existing ongoing INC project you can expect to receive information here on the following topics and communities:

1. MoneyLab, the upcoming events, the link lists that I am compiling and general debate about the state of affairs in crypto-blockchain land, cash society, fintech surveillance, UBI and other dreams aka nuissances.

2. Digital publishing strategies, the other pilar of INC in recent years. This covers both our our publications and the research in the digital/urgent publishing field.

3. Social media sadness and its alternatives (formerly known as Unlike Us). Because this covers the vast majority of all internet use, we cannot simply ignore this. Let’s see how it goes. As you we known over the past decade, social media critique and the search for alternatives has come in waves.

4. Video Vortex and the quest for critical visual cultures. Video Vortex has been the oldest INC network and is still going strong. However, its mailinglists, like most others mentioned here, was virtually dead. However, digital/network aesthetics and art criticism remain strong focal points for the INC, also in the coming year. 

5. As part of the ‘visual’ we will work to establish a separate network/project on ‘critical meme research’. This has been a topic long in the making but now it finally takes off. If you want to be part of this research group, let me know. 

That’s it for now. Best from Amsterdam,

Geert








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