Digital Frontier: Infrastructures of Control on the Global Web

The Digital Frontier explores the web and digital ecosystem as tools of emancipation, communication, and knowledge spreading or as means of control fueled by capitalism, surveillance, and geopolitics. It examines how the universalizing imperatives of the web clash with local values, norms, and cultures, such as the use of the global common good as a ruse by digital oligopolies, the exclusionary nature of collaborative spaces, the redefinition of selfhood online, and the differential impact of the web's political challenge on sovereign nation-states.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 276 pages
Publication date: 25 May 2021
Publisher: Indiana University Press

The global web and its digital ecosystem, characterized by their immense reach and interconnectedness, can be perceived as both tools of emancipation and control. On the one hand, they offer unprecedented opportunities for communication, knowledge dissemination, and social connectivity. On the other hand, they are fueled by capitalism, surveillance, and geopolitics, leading to concerns about their potential impact on individual freedom and societal stability.

The Digital Frontier delves into the intricate relationship between the world wide web and the digital ecosystem it has created. It explores how the conventions, protocols, standards, and algorithmic regulations governing these systems represent a novel form of global power. Author Sangeet Kumar sheds light on the operation of this power by examining the web's infrastructures of control, which are evident in sites where the universalizing imperatives of the web collide with local values, norms, and cultures.

One of the key themes explored in The Digital Frontier is the misuse of the concept of the global common good by digital oligopolies. These companies use it as a ruse to expand their private enclosures, disregarding the interests of individuals and communities. The book highlights how seemingly collaborative spaces on the web can simultaneously be exclusionary, as they regulate legitimate knowledge and limit the participation of certain groups. It also examines how the redefinition of selfhood online is often influenced by Eurocentric ideals, perpetuating cultural biases and inequalities.

Furthermore, The Digital Frontier explores how the web's political challenge manifests differently across sovereign nation states. It highlights how some countries perceive the web as a threat to their national security and sovereignty, while others embrace it as a tool for social and political empowerment. The book emphasizes the need for a nuanced understanding of the web's political implications and the challenges faced by countries in navigating the digital landscape.

In conclusion, The Digital Frontier is an essential read for scholars, activists, academics, and students who are inspired by the utopian dream of a truly representative global digital network. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the web and its digital ecosystem, shedding light on the complex dynamics of power, control, and cultural transformation in the digital age. By examining the web's infrastructures of control and the ways in which they shape our online experiences, The Digital Frontier offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities we face in this rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Weight: 428g
Dimension: 152 x 234 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780253056498