Geert Lovink
Encyclopedia
Geert Lovink is a Research Professor of Interactive Media at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam
(HvA), a Professor of Media Theory at the European Graduate School
, and an Associate Professor of New Media at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Lovink earned his master's degree
in political science at the University of Amsterdam, holds a PhD
from the University of Melbourne and has been a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Queensland.
Lovink is the founding director of the Institute of Network Cultures, whose goals are to explore, document and feed the potential for socio-economical change of the new media field through events, publications and open dialogue. As theorist, activist and net critic, Lovink has made an effort in helping to shape the development of the web.
On 31 May 2010 Geert Lovink took part in Quit Facebook Day and deleted his Facebook
account.
– the use of media technologies as a tool to distribute the ideas that are opposed to an issue against different levels of government. As an Internet activist, he describes tactical media as a "deliberately slippery term, a tool for creating 'temporary consensus zones' based on unexpected alliances. A temporary alliance of hackers, artists, critics, journalists and activists."
In essence, he believes that these new resources of which audiences could become participants in actions against higher powers became an area in which many different types of people could unite. Lovink also was a founder of such projects as "nettime
", "organised networks", "virtual media" and more.
Hogeschool van Amsterdam
The Hogeschool van Amsterdam, University of Applied Sciences , or Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, is one of the largest institutes for higher professional education in the Netherlands. The HvA mainly offers bachelor degree programmes, but also has a number of master degree programmes...
(HvA), a Professor of Media Theory at the European Graduate School
European Graduate School
The European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
, and an Associate Professor of New Media at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Lovink earned his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in political science at the University of Amsterdam, holds a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the University of Melbourne and has been a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Queensland.
Lovink is the founding director of the Institute of Network Cultures, whose goals are to explore, document and feed the potential for socio-economical change of the new media field through events, publications and open dialogue. As theorist, activist and net critic, Lovink has made an effort in helping to shape the development of the web.
Activities
Since the early eighties, Lovink has been involved in a range of different projects and initiatives in the field of new media.- 1982 Member of Adilkno
- 1989–94 Editor for the media art magazine Mediamatic
- 1993 Co-founder of the support campaign for independent media in South-East Europe Press Now
- 1994 Co-founder of the Amsterdam-based free community network Digital City (DDS)
- 1995 Co-founder (together with Pit Schultz) of the international nettimeNettimeNettime is an internet mailing list that was founded in 1995 during the second meeting of the Medien Zentral Kommittee at the Venice Biennale. Founded by Geert Lovink and Pit Schultz, the list was meant to provide a space for a new form of critical discourse on and with the nets...
circle - 1996–99 Public researcher at the Society for Old and New Media, De Waag
- 1996 Coordinating projects and teaching once a year at the IMI mediaschool in Osaka/Japan
- 2000 organizer of the TulipomaniaTulip maniaTulip mania or tulipomania was a period in the Dutch Golden Age during which contract prices for bulbs of the recently introduced tulip reached extraordinarily high levels and then suddenly collapsed...
Dotcom conference - 2000–08 Consultant/editor to the exchange program of Waag Society and Sarai New Media Centre (Delhi)
- 2001 Co-founder of FibreCulture, a forum for Australian Internet research and culture
- 2002 Co-organizer of Dark Markets, on new media and democracy in times of crisis in Vienna
- 2003 Co-organizer of Uncertain States of Reportage in Delhi
- 2004 Co-organizer (together with Trebor Scholz) of the conference on the art of (online) collaboration Free Cooperation at SUNY Buffalo
On 31 May 2010 Geert Lovink took part in Quit Facebook Day and deleted his Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
account.
Theories
Geert Lovink was one of the key theorists behind the concept of tactical mediaTactical media
Tactical media is a term coined in 1997, to de note a form of media activism that privileges temporary, hit-and-run interventions in the media sphere over the creation of permanent and alternative media outlets. Tactical media describes interventionist media art practices that engage and critique...
– the use of media technologies as a tool to distribute the ideas that are opposed to an issue against different levels of government. As an Internet activist, he describes tactical media as a "deliberately slippery term, a tool for creating 'temporary consensus zones' based on unexpected alliances. A temporary alliance of hackers, artists, critics, journalists and activists."
In essence, he believes that these new resources of which audiences could become participants in actions against higher powers became an area in which many different types of people could unite. Lovink also was a founder of such projects as "nettime
Nettime
Nettime is an internet mailing list that was founded in 1995 during the second meeting of the Medien Zentral Kommittee at the Venice Biennale. Founded by Geert Lovink and Pit Schultz, the list was meant to provide a space for a new form of critical discourse on and with the nets...
", "organised networks", "virtual media" and more.
Projects
These are some of the projects Lovink is or has been involved with:- Critical Point of View (CPoV): Wikipedia Research Initiative
- Urban Screens: The City as Interface
- Society of the Query: stop searching, start questioning, on the dominant role of search engines in our culture
- Video Vortex: on independent production and distribution of online video content
- New Network Theory: on smart mobs
- MyCreativity: on creative industries
- The Art and Politics of Netporn
- Incommunicado: on information technology for development
- A Decade of Webdesign