The evolution of technology in the 20th century brought about a form of relative emancipation—but also reached its most horrific expression in the tools used for mass murder during the Holocaust. After World War II, a new promise emerged: that integrated capital markets would bring peace and prosperity for all.
However, technological infrastructures were quickly privatized. By the 1970s, communication providers had become powerful corporations. Since then, most technological investment has been directed toward enabling the financialization of the economy—allowing speculative transactions to be executed at ever faster speeds and on ever greater scales. This process culminated, though did not end, with the financial crash of 2008.
Rather than questioning the inability of capital markets to reach equilibrium or provide equitable services, neoliberalism doubled down—further privatizing knowledge and social exchange through platforms like Google and Facebook.
What we need today is the development of new utopias, where technology is no longer subordinated to the commercialization of life, but instead leveraged and decentralized under principles of public provisioning. Early examples, such as Tata in India or the technosocialism promoted by Salvador Allende, show that technology can be harnessed to improve affordability and access to basic services, reduce bureaucracy, and radically democratize the economy.
This vision redefines data—not as a private asset to be commercialized, but as a communal resource to be used collectively and ethically, with full respect for privacy.
Ekaitz Cancela proposes a future in which public infrastructure is secured while applications are fully decentralized and owned by local cooperatives. It’s not just about creating public social networks and independent media, but also about building platforms for alternative forms of coordination. The goal is not merely to distribute our ideas, but to change the material conditions that shape our lives.
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