Neural networks connected to corridors of digital information flowing through fiber cables are creating electric goods. As Manuel Castells mentioned, one of the distinct characteristics of network age is that human intellect becomes a direct workforce. Both the need for physical work and physical workplace is eliminated here, expanding the office to a whole wi-fi enabled globe. Your workplace could be anything from a hammock in Thailand, to your kitchen. The sweat had never been so dry; the chair had never been so broken; the work had never been so virtual. Finally, the electric goods forego a conversion process, turning into numbers in bank databases. The salary had never been so precarious. But maybe you don’t even need it? The advocates of Universal Basic Income argue that every citizen should get a salary only for being alive. The levels of human productivity reached such heights that digitally mediated labor processes are generating whole teams worth of output with only single working perosn. There is so much value, so many robots, so much production, so many humans… So many processes, but everything had just began. So many ideas, only tiny amount of which are finalized. We are laboring, thinking about labor, creating new models of labor. Just wait a little bit, it all soon will be done… This time we gather to speak about changes in the forms of labor and income in the face of internet.
Kęstutis Duoba is a vice-dean of research at KTU Economics and Business faculty who is researching the overlays of digital technology, business and education for many years already. In few of the most recent publications he is analyzing the concept of virtual workplace, which is going to be the topic of his talk during the event.
The “INdisTERNET” events are organized by Cultural Infocenter as an attempt to publicly problematize the challenges posed by digitization and to research the cultural impact of internet through unconventional education-entertainment events. The events combine contemporary art, post-internet awareness, informal atmosphere, music, discussions, pleasant tastes, online video previews, academic thought and dis.art. Collage-like course of the event replicates a chaotic narrative of the internet and reflects on a shortened attention span of a contemporary spectator.
“INdisTERNET” combines education with entertainment. It consist of two main parts: active and passive, juxtaposing various workshops with videos and lectures.
dis.art is the world’s leading video art platform working in post-internet precepts. By being aware that internet person is not interested in big books and complex lectures it has the insight that he is still craving for the knowledge hidden within these texts. dis.art library holds around 50 short “edutainment” videos which are the base for “INdisTERNET” events.
“In” – we are somewhere, totally submerged; “DIS” – display, dissolve, disintegrate, disseminate, dislocate; “net” – an all connecting substance in the shape of digital
web. Together – “INdisTERNET” – a public attempt to critically dissolve and disintegrate the internet.
Come, it will be edutaining