Is alternative tech the best choice if you do not want to use mainstream social media?

Understanding the theories of cultural production, distinctive consumption, and the concept of the "techno-critical disposition."

Bourdieu's theories of cultural production and distinctive consumption serve as the foundation for the theories covered in this article. Stevenson and Valente Pinto (2024) reinterpret alternative technology as a mode of cultural production akin to Bourdieu's theories of the arts and literature. They contend that the creation and application of alternative technology serve as a means of reproducing social status and cultural capital and facilitating ethical substitution. The article delves into the "techno-critical disposition" concept, combining aesthetic and critical dispositions. It entails having a propensity to see technology's formal composition rather than just its immediate applications and an awareness of how politics, economics, and culture influence technology.

When I first read the theories of cultural production and distinctive consumption, I found them challenging to understand; hence, I created a video that explains them more clearly. In this video, the author takes examples of music, art, and academic writing styles to explain cultural production and distinctive consumption. Within this perspective, social media can be seen as cultural production and distinctive consumption, a similar perspective seeing social media through the lens of technology and culture as Miller and Slater (2000).

Video: Bourdieu: Cultural Capital, the Love of Art & Hip Hop. Source: Then & Now

The case study of "A Traversal Network of Feminist Servers" (ATNOFS)

Stevenson and Valente Pinto (2024) focus on the case study of ATNOFS to illustrate the theory framework employed in their study. The ATNOFS, or A Traversal Network of Feminist Servers, is a collaborative project that small European cultural organizations started. The project aims to investigate different ways cultural institutions can interact with digital tools and platforms, emphasizing encouraging and supporting resistance to Big Tech. One of the main characteristics of ATNOFS is that it only uses alternative infrastructures and open-source software (which is differentiated from mainstream media). One of its key components is the server known as "Rosa," which physically travels from member organization to member organization and acts as a central repository for project documentation. The project strongly emphasizes community, process, and pedagogy while promoting a techno-critical mindset, a certain level of formal literacy, and an understanding of the inner workings of technology. Like-minded intellectuals are encouraged to develop a taste for these technologies by ATNOFS, which challenges the logic of smoothness, efficiency, and surveillance of mainstream digital technology.

The screenshot of the project website ATNOFS. Source: https://hub.vvvvvvaria.org/rosa/ATNOFS/

By choosing this case study, the authors provide essential insights into the complexities of alternative tech initiatives and their cultural and ideological implications within the more prominent tech production landscape by demonstrating how the ATNOFS project embodies cultural production, distinctive consumption, and techno-critical disposition. However, (Stevenson & Valente Pinto, 2024) raise concerns regarding the project's possible elitism, niche character, commitment, and accessibility. Additionally, two authors discuss the broader consequences of the techno-critical mindset in redefining legitimacy in the tech production cultures, particularly concerning the virtual class and the "Californian Ideology."

I can see the point of view of the two authors when providing a very new case study within the theoretical framework of Bourdieu, which is interesting. However, with only around 3 participants for the interview, the methodology is not too solid, even though the ATNOFS project is niche; it also contains many technical terminologies, which can discourage readers (such as myself). I recommend choosing some popular alternative social media, such as Mastodon or Lemon8 (from TikTok developer), or other new platforms already presented in class, such as Locket, Telegram, and Threads. This paper is entirely totally new, but in 2024, they offer an alternative tech rather than social media. In the alternative social media case, I would like to recommend this paper, "The Case for Alternative Social Media"(Gehl, 2015).

References

Gehl, R. W. (2015). The Case for Alternative Social Media. Social Media + Society, 1(2). https://doi-org.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/10.1177/2056305115604338.

Miller, D., & Slater, D. (2000). The internet: An ethnographic approach

Stevenson, M., & Valente Pinto, C. (2024). Distinction and alternative tech: Exploring the techno-critical disposition. New Media & Society, 0(0). https://doi-org.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/10.1177/14614448241239579