Violence and nothingness; Technologies of connection
An essay by Brad Evans; an event with Nicholas Carr
Dear all,
Tomorrow’s event with Nicholas Carr should be awesome, so be sure to tune in. He’s one of those big names we were surprised said “yes” to our invitation. Always nice when that happens!
And we have uploaded the first essay from Brad Evans’ guest-edited series, “Between Disappearance and Oblivion”, published in our final print issue of last year. I hope you enjoy it.
Your Sunday Read
“Primal Fear: The Weaponisation of Nothingness” by Brad Evans
In this opening essay of our recent print issue on Violence, Brad Evans argues that the “violence of disappearance” is the most extreme and visible form state sovereignty and power takes in contemporary times. This kind of violence often translates into the literal removal and destruction of actual human bodies, irrespective of age and gender, but always only those belonging to particular races, ethnicities or ideologies, by means of genocide, abductions, forced migrations and (un)civil war. He characterises this as the “weaponization of nothingness” itself, while asking, quite poignantly: is there a greater fear than to vanish without a trace? You can read Brad’s essay here.
Monday Event: 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm GMT/8pm CET
“Why Technologies of Connection Tear Us Apart”
Nicholas Carr in conversation with Audrey Borowski
Join us tomorrow for the second event in the second series of Audrey Borowski’s “AI and the Digital”!
From the telegraph and telephone in the 1800s to the internet and social media in our own day, the public has welcomed new communication systems. Whenever people gain more power to share information, the assumption goes, society prospers. But in this event, New York Times bestselling writer Nicholas Carr will tell a startlingly different story. As communication becomes more mechanized and efficient, Carr will argue, it breeds confusion more than understanding, strife more than harmony. Media technologies all too often bring out the worst in us.
Does modern communication really encourage self-expression, free speech, and media democratization? What are the effects of “digital crowding”? How does new media shape society and affect our sense of reality? This event will probe the intricacies of modern communication in a time of radical dislocation. You can find out more and register here.
Event recording
If you missed the first event of Audrey Borowski’s new series of “AI and the Digital”, you can watch it here:
Ending
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Wishing you all a lovely Sunday, wherever you are.
Anthony Morgan
Managing Editor