Trusted Commons: Why 'Old' Social Media Matter

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 2020
Journal Internet Policy Review
Volume | Issue number 9 | 4
Number of pages 20
Organisations
  • Faculty of Humanities (FGw) - Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR)
  • Faculty of Humanities (FGw) - Amsterdam Institute for Humanities Research (AIHR) - Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA)
Abstract This paper looks at contemporary uses of an “old” social media – Internet Relay Chat (IRC) – and shows how they constitute a form of resistance to and a social critique of mainstream social media platforms. By examining IRC uses within three social worlds of peer production (free software development, hackerspace participation, Anonymous hacktivism), we argue that this open protocol (a digital commons) continues to serve as an essential component of the digital infrastructure, while receiving minimal public attention or funding.
Document type Article
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.14763/2020.4.1517
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policyreview-2020-4-1517 (Final published version)
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