SITUATION #106

Writer Joanne McNeil takes part in SITUATIONS/Post Fail with a video contribution (online from 1 December) in which she looks at the past, the present and the future of networked technologies. Is it possible to regard the utopian idea of the internet as failed, or is it symptomatic for our times that are defined through processes of constant change? McNeil tackles the topic from different points of view and focuses on the introduction of some symbolic devices, such as the 56k modem and the first iPhone, to elaborate on the paradigm shift they introduced. During her talk, she considers issues like nostalgia, the construction of the self on social media, the digital divide and the idea of a possible democratisation – or people’s empowerment – through technology. McNeil’s contribution presents a critical approach to the ‘post fail condition’; yet one through which some optimism might be obtained.

More by Joanne McNeil: joannemcneil.com

A cooperation with the Link Art Center.

Kindly supported by Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne.