About

Curriculum Vitae | Projects | Publications | Public Speaking | Media

I am less interested in technology itself than in its implications for society. While I am convinced that there is no technological determinism, new tools provide opportunities for new solutions to our common social challenges. New media are at the core of the changes we are currently experiencing, because communication is one of the most basic human needs.

Although at the surface it might seem as if only media are changing – from print to online, from centralized to networked -, what we are experiencing today is an opportunity to radically change society. The possible network society differs from its industrial counterpart in all areas: Politics, Economy, Culture.

This blog is committed to chronicling and analyzing these changes as best as I can. I am convinced that I only once in a while grasp an essential part of what is still a vague idea of possibilities to me. Yet maybe after a while they will form a pattern.

Today I can only point to a vague and non-exclusive list of issue that might matter for our future: Copyright and the Public Domain; Free Culture, Commons and Social Production; Networked Media, Politics and Activism; Privacy and Data Security.

Lastly, I apologize for not writing more often on this blog. You can stay in touch via Twitter or use Friendfeed to find my writings at other places, or look up the publications section below.

My utmost respect goes to José Saramago (with whom I do not want to compare myself in any way). When asked why he refrained from writing for nearly 30 years, he answered with a simple “I did not have to say anything”.

Finally, here are a couple of articles which I consider to be some of my best, unfortunately mostly in German:

Esra’a Al Shafei interrogated: Censorship and the Middle East for gulli:news
Das Swift-Abkommen kann gekippt werden for netzpolitik.org
Aktivisten planen Verfassungsbeschwerde gegen die Volkszählung 2011 for Spreeblick
In der SPD bleibt die Angst vor dem großen, dunklen Netz for Spreeblick
Das Prinzip Angst for simoncolumbus.de
Nuttig for simoncolumbus.de
Es ist Herbst for simoncolumbus.de