Groups that campaign for free technology, like the
Free Software
Foundation and the
Electronic Frontier Foundation, tend to be
supported primarily by technologists. Both groups have struggled to
communicate their messages to non-geeks. I have written
an article
and helped create a
new weblog, both called
Revealing Errors, that
attempt to address a root cause of this issue in what I hope is both an
insightful and entertainingly manner.
Geeks support groups like the FSF and EFF because, as people who
understand technology, they understand just how powerful technology is.
Geeks know that control of our communication technologies is control
over what we can say, who we can say it to, and how and when we can say
it. In an increasingly technologically mediated age, control over
technology is not only the power to control our actions; it is the power
to limit our possible actions. Our freedom to our technology is our
freedom, full stop.
This message fails to resonate with non-geeks but it does not fail
because non-geeks are happy to hand over their freedom. It fails to
resonate simply because the vast majority of people do not understand
that technology, and control over it, is powerful enough to impact their
freedom. Most people fail to see the power because, quite simply, most
people fail to see technology. While we all see the effects of
technologies, the technologies themselves are frequently hidden. We see
emails but not mail transport agents. We see text messages but not the
mobile phone network. Before one can argue that such systems must be
free, one must reveal their existence. Technologists are keenly aware
of the existence of these systems. To everyone else, they are completely
invisible.
Marc Weisner of Xerox PARC cited eyeglasses as an ideal technology
because, with spectacles, "you look at the world, not the eyeglasses."
When technology works smoothly, its nature and effects are invisible.
But technologies do not always work smoothly. A tiny fracture or a
smudge on a lens renders glasses quite visible to the wearer indeed.
Similarly, people see their MTAs when messages bounce. They see Windows
on their ATM or phone when the system crashes. Technological errors are
moments when usually invisible technology becomes visible. They are, in
this sense, also an educational opportunity.
I have recently published
an article in
Media/Culture Journal
from the University of Melbourne within a
special issue called Error. If
you are interested in learning more about what I'm trying to do or
looking at some examples, please read
the article.
With support and ontributions from
Aaron Swartz, I have also created
a new weblog,
Revealing Errors, that reveals errors that reveal
technology by posting descriptions of errors with commentary on what the
error reveals. I've posted a few examples there already and I will be
updating it regularly. The goal is to help explain the power and
influence of technology in the service of broadening the base of people
who can get excited about freedom to technology.
Eventually, I hope to be able to communicate this message to a less
technical audience. With that said, I hope that even seasoned
technologists will learn things about their technological environment
through the analysis and interaction. I hope readers of this blog will
subscribe to it and, if possible, comment on and contribute to the
project as it moves forward.
