From community networks to off-the-cloud toolkits art and DIY networking

The last fifteen years, and especially parallel to the increasing datafication of everyday life, an emerging scene of network practitioners from different fields has been actively involved in building alternative networks of communication and file-sharing. Among the practitioners of this DIY networking scene, a growing number of artists have been playing a crucial role offering alternatives and critical perspectives. The aim of this paper is to present and discuss these particular initiatives, while locating them within a context and relating them to the needs of the particular time-period

Counter-infrastructures: Critical empowerment and emancipation in a networked world

The paper discusses the role of the initiatives, critical perspectives and alternatives that have been formulated by artists, arguing that they can be seen not only as steps towards critical awareness but also as significant moves towards users’ emancipation. Looking to the last ten years, the paper will present significant examples from a scene of artists who have been active in the field, capturing the changes in networked infrastructures and architectures of communication, and responding to them with collaborative projects, actions and workshops. Paying attention to the overall aims, methodology, and outcomes of these case studies, the paper will focus on how artists’ initiatives empower users to develop their own competencies and skills through a creative engagement with technology

“Mapping the Commons, Athens”: Α cartography of alternate economies and practices in times of crisis

The paper will aim to present and discuss the concept, the process and the results of the workshop “Mapping the Commons, Athens”

Artists as the new producers of the common (?)

This paper examines a new form of creativity, based on the commons. Using as case studies two projects organised by the National Museum of Contemporary Art of Athens in 2010, it aims to define the features of this emerging creativity and to locate the challenges and changes formed for the creators involved in this process

Rethinking gamification

Gamification marks a major change to everyday life. It describes the permeation of economic, political, and social contexts by game-elements such as awards, rule structures, and interfaces that are inspired by video games. Sometimes the term is reduced to the implementation of points, badges, and leaderboards as incentives and motivations to be productive. Sometimes it is envisioned as a universal remedy to deeply transform society toward more humane and playful ends. Despite its use by corporations to manage brand communities and personnel, however, gamification is more than just a marketing buzzword. States are beginning to use it as a new tool for governing populations more effectively. It promises to fix what is wrong with reality by making every single one of us fitter, happier, and healthier. Indeed, it seems like all of society is up for being transformed into one massive game. The contributions in this book offer a candid assessment of the gamification hype. They trace back the historical roots of the phenomenon and explore novel design practices and methods. They critically discuss its social implications and even present artistic tactics for resistance. It is time to rethink gamification