Database Society

These vast networks of information in which we live must be interpreted for the average person to be able to comprehend any of it. This interpretation is an instance of mapping. Some of these interpretations may not suit some users; therefore a system of reference must be established. Its form is often a legend. Certain places or spaces (like an online community such as FaceBook) must emulate architecture inspired from physical space for it’s population to interact in an established logical pattern. The rules and systems present in such a virtual space are based on the values and beliefs of actual societies. This begs the question: Are these worlds a signifier or a completely new environment, the signified?

I am reminded of artists using their canvas to reproduce life photographically, before the invention of the camera. It seems humans always wanted to capture life as faithfully as possible. It is the case, today, with grand databases of information. With such extensive data, it is possible to reconstitute the source of the information exactly. A full body scan is simply a scanner able to pierce skin and collect data points. These points can be reconstituted to simulate the inside of a human body, for example. This simulation is easier to understand for a doctor but not for an algorithm. Where does this harvesting stop?

The ease of communication makes any data available to anyone upon request and financial means. When media is privatized, it becomes an advertising machine. It serves users to advertisers for the sole purpose of making money. Returning to the FaceBook example, the site collects very personal data from all its users to place very targeted ads on their screen. No privately owned website exists for public enjoyment. They only are born to produce revenue. This is of course a negative outlook on these new technologies but nonetheless requires attention. I believe money can neither be created nor destroyed, only transformed.

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In response to the reading of : The work of artists in a databased society: Net.Art as online activism. (Features).(Internet standards and a Free Society)(Excerpt) by Richard Miranda Zuniga