The article "Web Work: A History of Internet Art" by Rachel Greene talks about Net.Art and its implications in society. Net.Art was a prominent form of art in the mid-90s helping itself integrate into everyday digital communication forms like texts and emails. It originated in Eastern Europe and Russia and was used as a method for political and cultural reform. Growing in popularity allowed it to build communities. It began to be a part of daily interactions and it started to become a symbol of collaboration where artists could practice and become experimental.
The article also touches on how in the late 90s, the internet began to expand drastically which also grew the world of digital art both physically and economically. The growth of Net.Art drew in many problems. It started to face pressure from corporations and individuals who wanted to commercialize it.
When reading, there was one section that particularly stood out to me. This section was talking about pranksters specifically Keiko Suzuki. He created 7-11 which was “junk, e-mail art, confusion, banter, innuendo, jokes, notes from people who mistook it for a service provided by the convenience store chain”. I found this part the most interesting because I believe it helped reflect what early internet culture was like. The mess structure of 7-11 gave me an act of rebellion that aligned with the idea that Net. Art was a platform made for experimental and artistic practices.
Lastly, a quote that stood out to me was "When operating systems start to be described as natural resources, alarm bells should ring" by Simon Pope. I believe that in today's society, a lot of people rely on operating systems without even knowing it. For example, apple made IOS which is their operating system. Just as natural resources are fundamental for different ecosystems, I believe you can make that case for IOS which supports the idea of a digital ecosystem. IOS is used for Apple products like the iPhone. An iPhone cannot work without IOS. The majority of the population uses phones so without their phones it disrupts an ecosystem just like a lack of natural resources disrupts an environmental ecosystem. I believe that as the web and Internet have become ever so evolving we have failed to question are original concerns like in Simon Popes case "alarm bells should ring".
Related Posts
