The Politics of Networking a Nation
Comparative network histories illustrate how politics shape the design of technological systems. This essay compares efforts to build national computer networks in the Soviet Union and Chile. It argues that networks in practice cannot be categorized neatly as distributed, centralized, or de-central...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
2018-06-01
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| Series: | Diseña |
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| Online Access: | https://revistadelaconstruccion.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/73 |
| _version_ | 1797268027840921600 |
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| author | Eden Medina |
| author_facet | Eden Medina |
| author_sort | Eden Medina |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Comparative network histories illustrate how politics shape the design of technological systems. This essay compares efforts to build national computer networks in the Soviet Union and Chile. It argues that networks in practice cannot be categorized neatly as distributed, centralized, or de-centralized, nor is there any correlation between freedom and distributed or de-centralized network architectures. The essay uses this observation to suggest that the distributed network configuration of today’s Internet does not automatically increment freedom of information or flatten the ways in which governments and enterprises exert their power and influence.
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| first_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:25:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-93ef5ead3a654b26a12303dc7d50bf49 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0718-8447 2452-4298 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-25T01:25:57Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diseña |
| spelling | doaj.art-93ef5ead3a654b26a12303dc7d50bf492024-03-08T21:34:23ZengPontificia Universidad Católica de ChileDiseña0718-84472452-42982018-06-0111The Politics of Networking a NationEden Medina0Indiana University Bloomington Comparative network histories illustrate how politics shape the design of technological systems. This essay compares efforts to build national computer networks in the Soviet Union and Chile. It argues that networks in practice cannot be categorized neatly as distributed, centralized, or de-centralized, nor is there any correlation between freedom and distributed or de-centralized network architectures. The essay uses this observation to suggest that the distributed network configuration of today’s Internet does not automatically increment freedom of information or flatten the ways in which governments and enterprises exert their power and influence. https://revistadelaconstruccion.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/73ChileInternetTechnologySoviet UnionSocialism |
| spellingShingle | Eden Medina The Politics of Networking a Nation Diseña Chile Internet Technology Soviet Union Socialism |
| title | The Politics of Networking a Nation |
| title_full | The Politics of Networking a Nation |
| title_fullStr | The Politics of Networking a Nation |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Politics of Networking a Nation |
| title_short | The Politics of Networking a Nation |
| title_sort | politics of networking a nation |
| topic | Chile Internet Technology Soviet Union Socialism |
| url | https://revistadelaconstruccion.uc.cl/index.php/Disena/article/view/73 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT edenmedina thepoliticsofnetworkinganation AT edenmedina politicsofnetworkinganation |