geert lovink Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture (1994–2001) An Archive of Content Production published by the institute of network cultures issue no.:
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geert lovink Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture (1994–2001)
Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture
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Contents
Theory on Demand #1 Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture An Archive of Content Production Author: Geert Lovink Editorial support: Ned Rossiter Design: Katja van Stiphout Printer: ‘Print on Demand’ Publisher: Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam 2009 ISBN: 978-90-78146-07-0 Submitted in total fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy November 2002, English Department University of Melbourne
Acknowledgements
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Introduction Currents in Critical Internet Culture
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Chapter One Post-speculative Internet Theory Three Positions: Castells, Dreyfus, Lessig
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Chapter Two Anatomy of Dotcommania Overview of Recent Literature
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Chapter Three The Amsterdam Digital City Glory and Demise of a Community Network
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Chapter Four Nettime and the Moderation Question Boundaries of Mailinglist Culture
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Chapter Five Deep Europe and the Kosovo Conflict A History of the V2_East/Syndicate Network
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Contact Institute of Network Cultures phone: +3120 5951863 fax: +3120 5951840 email:
[email protected] web: http://www.networkcultures.org
Chapter Six Principles of Streaming Sovereignty A History of the Xchange Network
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Conclusion From Lists to Weblogs
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This publication is available through various print on demand services. For more information, and a freely downloadable pdf: http://networkcultures.org/theoryondemand.
Bibliography
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Special thanks to: Scott McQuire and Nikos Papastergiadis and the University of Melbourne.
This publication is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial No Derivative Works 3.0 Netherlands License. No article in this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means without permission in writing from the author.
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theory on demand
Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture
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Introduction Currents in Critical Internet Culture
“Are you living in today’s world?” Marshall McLuhan
Abstract This study examines the dynamics of critical Internet culture after the medium opened to a broader audience in the mid 1990s. The core of the research consists of four case studies of nonprofit networks: the Amsterdam community provider, The Digital City (DDS); the early years of the nettime mailinglist community; a history of the European new media arts network Syndicate; and an analysis of the streaming media network Xchange. The research describes the search for sustainable community network models in a climate of hyper growth and increased tensions and conflict concerning moderation and ownership of online communities.
Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors Scott McQuire and Nikos Papastergiadis for their enormous efforts to make this PhD happen. Without the support of the University of Melbourne, which provided me with an international scholarship, this research would not have happened. Intellectual and editorial support also came from Ned Rossiter. Thanks also to Mr. Snow and Felipe Rodriguez for crucial computer tech support. It was my wife, Linda Wallace, who carefully read through the manuscript and gave me the love, support and confidence to focus on writing throughout 2002. The thesis is dedicated to our son Kazimir who was born on Jan