[Air-L] Digital Materialities Seminar with Devika Narayan (University of Bristol): "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation" - 27 May (4-6 pm, CET)
*
* *
| 9:32 AM (3 hours ago) | |||
| ||||
Dear Devika, (All),
Greetings from the SF Bay Area, and close to Stanford, UC Berkeley and from startup free World University and School building on MIT OCW in 7 languages for free WUaS degrees in each of all 200 countries, and wiki too, and planned in all 7159 known living languages as wiki schools for open wiki-teaching, and wiki-learning.
Looking forward to your - Digital Materialities Seminar with Devika Narayan (University of Bristol): "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation" - 27 May (4-6 pm, CET) from Paris - which I just registered for yesterday - https://evento.renater.fr/
As I emailed friends, Sid / Pin Mazumdar, Ed Smyth MD, Byron Hann MD PhD and family, Jane MacLeod, yesterday -
"I received this announcement of an upcoming talk by Devika Narayan, an assistant Professor at the University of Bristol (where Flora Halford-MacLeod is completing her medical degree, a MBBS) to be given from Sciences Po in Paris, France ... She's originally from India ... Just registered for W May 27, 2026 at 4pm in France, which may be 8 am Pacific Time (and interesting to navigate the French registration page, in English too, somehow culturally .. .and in WUaS growing a worldwide abolition movement and see below) -
The topic of the paper
"Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation" is potentially very relevant for my upcoming "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book (@WUaSPress) as are the countries of England and France for World Univ & Sch ... Do you or your siblings know Devika Narayan, Pin?
A possible way to connect with Flora ... and regarding family questions especially ????
Yogically, Friendly NtF Quaker greetings, abolition, warm regards,
Scott"
Devika, Flora and I both studied at Fettes College in Edinburgh Scotland (and I'm still in touch with Fettes re physics' teacher George Preston my housemaster in Kimmerghame House, above, and Karen Houston Jones, and Andrew Stitt), albeit I only for a year in the first year 6th form of A levels, and am interested in connecting with her further, and potentially regarding family questions. Do you happen to know her (at Bristol University with some 33,000 students) or might you know of ways to communicate with her, and regarding some of the above? What is her email? Am much on TwitterX and LinkedIN, but haven't heard back from Flora re LinkedIN yet. I've blogged twice about her both here - https://
And, Devika, after a great beginning to the open Google I/O 2026 (about amazing emerging artificial intelligences +) online conference Tuesday 5/19, might you be interested in joining this amazing Google conference today, beginning in about 30 minutes - https://io.google/2026/ ? It's pretty interesting (and edited recordings of yesterday's keynotes are already accessible).
Perhaps we can also come into communication about my upcoming "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book which is very sociological in Part 1 (coming into conversation with long time UC Berkeley Professor Manuel Castells), and regarding Part 2 regarding the global university, and where WUaS seeks to employ some 2.5 million people over the next 50-100 years, slightly bigger than Walmart (which is in 19 out of 200 countries) and where WUaS seeks to grow in all 200 countries and 7159 living languages, and has 2 wings (and see below), with amazing potential synergies between them.
Looking forward to your seminar on May 27, 2026, & best regards,
Scott
PS
Happening now - https://io.google/2026/ (and will be available later too)
https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/
Happening now - https://io.google/2026/ & later too
How to grow a #WorldwideAbolitionMovement further w/ all these remarkable #AIandML developments e.g. #UniversalCommerceProtocol & in @WorldUnivAndSch coding for all 7.9B people & to distribute #PiCrypto & pot. to end poverty?
https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/
How to grow a #WorldwideAbolitionMovement further w/ all these remarkable #AIandML developments e.g. #UniversalCommerceProtocol & in @WorldUnivAndSch coding for all 7.9B people & to distribute #PiCrypto & pot. to end poverty?
Happening now - https://t.co/Po3blmKxaG & later too
— QuakerYogaMacFlower (@Q_YogaMacFlower) May 19, 2026
How to grow a #WorldwideAbolitionMovement further w/ all these remarkable #AIandML developments e.g. #UniversalCommerceProtocol & in @WorldUnivAndSch coding for all 7.9B people & to distribute #PiCrypto & pot. to end poverty?
https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/
https://x.com/scottmacleod/
https://x.com/WUaSPress/
https://x.com/HarbinBook/
https://x.com/sgkmacleod/
https://x.com/TheOpenBand/
https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/
https://x.com/WUaSPress/
https://x.com/HarbinBook/
https://x.com/sgkmacleod/
https://x.com/TheOpenBand/
https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/
--
Society, Information Technology, and the Global University, (forthcoming, Academic Press at World University and School, 2026)
Scottish Small Piping album #2 - Honey Piobaireachd (2022)
- https://twitter.com/
Scottish Small Piping album #1 Honey in the Bag ~ Out of the Air tune (2020)
Order Book #4 To the Dance or the Pools? ~ Virtually! How different it is to soak at Harbin Hot Springs, than to realize it in virtual reality (2019, Academic Press at WUaS)
Order Book #3 Winding Road Rainbow: Harbin, Wandering & the Poetry of Loving Bliss (2018, Academic Press at WUaS)
Order Actual-Virtual Ethnographic Book #1: Naked Harbin Ethnography (2016, Academic Press at World University and School)
- Scott GK MacLeod
Founder, President, CEO & Professor
at / of best STEAM CC licensed OCW, Wiki,
World University & School (WUaS)
- USPS US Post Office, PO Box 132, General Delivery, Canyon, CA 94516
1) non-profit 501(c)(3) Public Charity
best STEAM CC licensed OCW, Wiki,
World University and School - http://
2) for profit general stock company WUaS Corporation in CA - http://
(o) 415 480 4577 (Google voice #) - sgkmacleod@
alternate email: worldunivandsch@
(m) 412 478 0116 - sgkmacleod@gmail.com
World Univ & Sch Innovation Research -
*
Dear colleagues,
Hugo Estecahandy, Adrien Tournier & Valentin Goujon.
As part of the 2025–2026 edition of the "Digital Materialities" seminar, the eighth session of the year will be held on Wednesday, 27 May (4:00-6:00 pm, CET), both online and at Sciences Po Paris (1 place Saint-Thomas d’Aquin, 75007).
We are delighted to welcome Devika Narayan, Lecturer at the University of Bristol, for a presentation entitled:
"Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation"
Abstract: This talk will offer a perspective on digital transformation that melds sociotechnical analysis of computing infrastructure with industrial and organisational political economy. The old-fashioned, unglamourous computer industry has given way to a much more pervasive and powerful tech sector. I will explore this shift to discuss the material practices of acceleration, resulting in capitalist volatility.
---
Registration for the session, as well as the full seminar programme, is available on the working group webpage.
The final session of the year will take place on Wednesday, 17 June (4:00-6:00 pm, CET), with a talk by Oyuna Baldakova (King’s College London) on "Land-Locked and Internet-Locked: Digital Dependency, Sovereignty, and Resilience in Kazakhstan."
Looking forward to seeing you online and in person!
All the best,
---
Valentin Goujon
Doctorant en sociologie
médialab, Sciences Po
---
Projet de recherche ANR-ORA Shaping AI
a
![Yellow-crested cockatoo: [Air-L] Digital Materialities Seminar with Devika Narayan (University of Bristol): "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation" - 27 May (4-6 pm, CET) * As part of the 2025–2026 edition of the "Digital Materials" seminar, the eighth session of the year will be held on Wednesday, 27 May (4:00-6:00 pm, CET) , both online and at Sciences Po Paris (1 place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, 75007) * The topic of the paper is potentially very relevant for my upcoming "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book (@WUaSPress) as are the countries of England and France for World Univ & Sch](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Cacatua_sulphurea_%28Yellow-crested_cockatoo%29_in_Auckland_Zoo.jpg?_=20091016101713){kind=link}
______________________________
The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list
is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listi
Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
http://www.aoir.org/
*
Friday, May 22, 2026
Dear all,
You are registered for the next week session of the Digital Materialities seminar. We're delighted to welcome Devika Narayan (Lecturer, Bristol Digital Futures Institute, University of Bristol) on Wednesday, May 27 from 4 to 6 PM (CEST).
The talk, entitled "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation", will be in English.
If you want to attend on-site, please join us at the Sciences Po campus (1 place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, Paris, 75007) ), room K11.
If you want to follow the presentation online, here is the link : https://sciencespo.
Abstract: "This talk will offer a perspective on digital transformation that melds sociotechnical analysis of computing infrastructure with industrial and organisational political economy. The old-fashioned, unglamourous computer industry has given way to a much more pervasive and powerful tech sector. I will explore this shift to discuss the material practices of acceleration, resulting in capitalist volatility."
See you next week!
Valentin Goujon, Adrien Tournier & Hugo Estecahandy
Abstract: "This talk will offer a perspective on digital transformation that melds sociotechnical analysis of computing infrastructure with industrial and organisational political economy. The old-fashioned, unglamourous computer industry has given way to a much more pervasive and powerful tech sector. I will explore this shift to discuss the material practices of acceleration, resulting in capitalist volatility."
See you next week!
Valentin Goujon, Adrien Tournier & Hugo Estecahandy
*
See too -
Matérialités du numérique
Image généréé par Midjourney
« Cyberespace », « informatique en nuage », « réalité virtuelle » : ces expressions entretiennent la promesse d’univers informationnels aux possibilités infinies, loin des multiples contraintes qui semblent peser sur la réalité physique. Pourtant, depuis maintenant plusieurs années, les sciences humaines et sociales se positionnent à rebours d’une telle vision du numérique en insistant sur les soubassements proprement matériels des objets, réseaux et systèmes numériques. Dans la continuité de ce tournant dit « matériel » (material turn), ce groupe de travail entend mettre en évidence l’ensemble des formes que peuvent prendre les matérialités, matières et matériaux associés aux mondes sociaux, filières industrielles et agencements sociotechniques du numérique, dont il s’agira également de restituer les ancrages spatiaux et territoriaux.
Ouvert aux échanges pluridisciplinaires, ce groupe de travail ambitionne de faire dialoguer l’ensemble des sciences humaines et sociales (sociologie, anthropologie, histoire, géographie, sciences politiques, etc.), tout en mobilisant les apports d’autres domaines de recherche intéressés par l’étude des matérialités du numérique : informatique, chimie, physique, géologie, électronique, sciences et génie des matériaux. Le groupe de travail souhaite également ouvrir les discussions à la pluralité des publics concernés par ces thématiques : activistes, artistes, industriels, élu·es, travailleur·euses, journalistes.
Les réflexions du groupe de travail sont organisées autour de trois échelles d’analyse interdépendantes :
- L’échelle d’analyse micro- porte tout d’abord sur les matières premières minérales, dont certaines sont dites « rares », « critiques » ou « stratégiques », qui assurent la pérennité des biens et services des industries du numérique : cuivre, silicium, étain, tungstène, tantale, or, etc. Présentes sur l’ensemble des étapes de transformation de la matière, les logiques extractives des industries minières et métallurgiques trouvent leur prolongement dans celles des industries du numérique par le biais d’expressions telles que « data mining », « data extractivism », ou encore « data is the new oil ». Par la suite, une grande diversité de matières – premières/secondaires, minérales/organiques, naturelles/synthétiques – s’intègre plus largement aux processus de fabrication de nombreux composants (micro)électroniques, qu’ils soient analogiques ou numériques. Une fois considérés comme des déchets d’équipements électriques et électroniques, ces composants continuent à s’inscrire dans divers processus de valorisation qui font intervenir un large éventail de propriétés matérielles.
- L’échelle d’analyse méso- correspond aux différents types de dispositifs, de plateformes et d’infrastructures du numérique, qui peuvent assurer des fonctions de calcul, de stockage ou bien de mise en réseau : bases et jeux de données, câbles sous-marins et terrestres de fibre optique, centres de données (datacenters), supercalculateurs, grilles informatiques, couches logicielles étendues, constellations de satellites de télécommunications, plateformes en ligne, etc. Ces agencements sociotechniques sont eux-mêmes encastrés au sein d’une base préexistante d’infrastructures qui resurgissent à l’occasion d’épisodes d’« inversion infrastructurelle » où la matérialité tient une place déterminante. L’attention à la fragilité matérielle des objets et infrastructures techniques amène à porter le regard vers d’autres formes de matérialités et de matériaux, depuis l’architecture physique des infrastructures jusqu’aux multiples flux qui les traversent, en passant par les personnes qui – par leur corps et leur cognition – font l’expérience sensible des matières du numérique.
- L’échelle d’analyse macro- porte sur l’entrelacement des dynamiques économiques et (géo)politiques qui traversent les filières industrielles du numérique à l’échelle mondiale, régionale ou nationale. Les deux échelles d’analyse précédentes peuvent ainsi être réinterrogées à la lumière d’enjeux plus larges relatifs aux chaînes globales d’approvisionnement et de valeur du capitalisme contemporain. Un grand nombre de cas d’étude peuvent alors venir enrichir le projet d’une économie politique matérielle : l’ambition d’un « cloud souverain » à l’échelle nationale ou européenne ; le déploiement controversé de la cinquième génération de télécommunications mobiles (5G) ; le minage de cryptomonnaies à l’heure de l’urgence écologique et de l’augmentation des prix de l’énergie ; l’essor des « méga-constellations » de satellites en orbite basse terrestre pour l’Internet à haut débit ; l’importance stratégique croissante des câbles sous-marins et terrestres de fibre optique.
Pour finir, ce groupe de travail propose de prolonger l’examen de la part matérielle des industries du numérique par l’adoption d’une perspective inversée qui prend en compte les effets du numérique sur la matière elle-même en fonction des trois échelles d’analyse précédemment évoquées.
La version longue de ce texte de présentation est disponible ici.
Contacter les responsables du GdT : gdt.matnum@gmail.com
Rejoindre le serveur Discord MatNum : https://discord.gg/rnew5WGKM8
Coordination
Valentin Goujon (valentin.goujon@sciencespo.fr) est doctorant en sociologie au médialab de Sciences Po. Dans le cadre du projet de recherche international et pluridisciplinaire Shaping AI, sa thèse porte sur l’essor contemporain des méthodes d’apprentissage dit « profond » (deep learning) au sein de la recherche en intelligence artificielle. En parallèle, il a eu l’occasion de s’intéresser à la matérialité de déchets industriels, qualifiés de « boues rouges », dans les processus de traitement, de gestion et de valorisation de ces résidus produits dans le Sud de la France.
Adrien Tournier (adrien.tournier@lecnam.net) est doctorant en sciences, techniques et société au laboratoire HT2S du CNAM. Sa thèse porte sur la trajectoire de conception de la 5G, cinquième génération de l’infrastructure des réseaux de télécommunications mobiles. Par une généalogie critique de ce réseau dans l’histoire des télécommunications et des réseaux informatiques, il s’agit d’analyser comment le découplage des machines virtuelles de leurs équipements physiques fait infrastructure.
Hugo Estecahandy (hugo.estecahandy@protonmail.com) est doctorant en géographie au sein de l’Institut Français de Géopolitique à l’université Paris 8. Ses recherches portent sur les enjeux des cryptomonnaies et de leurs industries de minage, notamment en Russie et en Asie centrale. En mêlant terrains de recherche physiques et numériques, l’objectif est d’analyser la géographie de ces espaces multidimensionnels ainsi que les enjeux géopolitiques qui émergent avec ces réseaux numériques à la matérialité importante.
2025/26
Séminaire Matérialités du numérique
Les séances se déroulent à Paris (Sciences Po, Cnam, CNRS Pouchet) et/ou en visioconférence.
→ Merci de vous inscrire / Please register here
Pour les séances qui se déroulent à Sciences Po, les personnes qui souhaitent assister sur place au séminaire doivent impérativement s’inscrire au plus tard la veille.
2024/25
Séminaire Matérialités du numérique
Conférence Exploring the materialities of AI: Geographies, infrastructures, numbers
Cette conférence a eu lieu le vendredi 31 janvier 2025 à Paris 17e et en visioconférence.
→ Présentation et programme (en anglais)
Journée d’étude Des astres aux abysses : numériser le spatial, spatialiser le numérique
Cette journée d’étude s’est déroulée le vendredi 11 octobre 2024 à Paris 17e et en visioconférence.
→ Présentation et programme
2023/24
Séminaire Matérialités du numérique
https://cis.cnrs.fr/materialites-du-numerique/#
* *
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Dear all,
Due to unforeseen circumstances, the seminar scheduled for this afternoon with Devika Narayan is cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.
We understand that many participants had planned their schedules around this event, and we regret having to make this decision. We are currently reviewing possible options for rescheduling at a later date, hopefully soon.
Further information will be shared as soon as new arrangements are confirmed. Thank you for your patience and continued interest in the seminar.
--En raison de circonstances imprévues, le séminaire prévu aujourd'hui est annulé. Nous vous prions de nous excuser pour la gêne occasionnée et vous remercions de votre compréhension.
Nous regrettons de devoir prendre cette décision. Nous étudions actuellement la possibilité de reporter le séminaire à une date ultérieure, demain ou après-demain.
De nouvelles informations seront communiquées dès que possible. Merci pour votre patience et pour l’intérêt que vous portez à ce séminaire, encore toutes nos excuses de ce changement de dernière minute!
Adrien Tournier, Valentin Goujon & Hugo Estecahandy.
Le mer. 27 mai 2026 à 11:04, Mat Num <gdt.matnum@gmail.com> a écrit :
Dear all,Here is a quick reminder for the today's session of the Digital Materialities seminar. We're delighted to welcome Devika Narayan (Lecturer, Bristol Digital Futures Institute, University of Bristol) from 4 to 6 PM (CEST).The talk, entitled "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation", will be in English.If you want to attend on-site, please join us at the Sciences Po campus (1 place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, Paris, 75007) ), room K11.If you want to follow the presentation online, here is the link : https://sciencespo.zoom.us/j/94616864171
Abstract: "This talk will offer a perspective on digital transformation that melds sociotechnical analysis of computing infrastructure with industrial and organisational political economy. The old-fashioned, unglamourous computer industry has given way to a much more pervasive and powerful tech sector. I will explore this shift to discuss the material practices of acceleration, resulting in capitalist volatility."
See you this afternoon!
Valentin Goujon, Adrien Tournier & Hugo Estecahandy
*
6:39 am Pacific Time
| from: | Scott MacLeod sgkmacleod@worlduniversityandschool.org | ||
| to: | devika.narayan@bristol.ac.uk, Pin - Siddartha Mazumdar <sid.mazumdar@gmail.com>, Jane MacLeod <jkbmacleod@icloud.com>, Ed Smyth <esmythmd@gmail.com>, Byron Hann <byronhann1@gmail.com>, George Preston <em4gdcp@btinternet.com>, flora.halford-macleod@bristol.ac.uk, Scott Gordon MacLeod <president@worlduniversityandschool.org> |
Dear Devika, (Ed Smyth MD, Old Fettesians' Flora Halford-MacLeod MBBS & George Preston, All),
Greetings.
Sorry to learn your talk is cancelled, which would have begun in about 20 minutes. Looking forward to staying in touch, and regarding your IT research, and my upcoming "Society, Information Technology and the Global University" book, regarding free-to-students' wiki World Univ & Sch building on MIT OCW in its 7 languages, and in a #GrowWithGoogleWUaS program, and the 250 + online Medical Schools at World Univ & Sch.
In some of these regards, Ed (Smyth MD, named Chief Medical Officer at WUaS), Flora (Halford-MacLeod, MBBS), all, you might be interested in this upcoming -
Stanford AI in Med Ed Symposium
Sat, June 1, 2026
1:00 PM - 6:00 PM (PST) | 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM (EST)
(albeit not at the greatest time for western Europe) - and where WUaS seeks to collaborate with Stanford Medicine (and Stanford Law CodeX for our 250 + online free WUaS Law Schools too) as WUaS grows.
All the best, Yogically, regards,
Scott
Regarding Agenda item 3 in the M 5/25/26 WUaS Weekly Business Meeting Agenda and News, about your talk, Devika,
http://scott-macleod.blogspot.
Regarding https://io.google/2026/ on Tu 5/19 (available now), added to 5/25 #WUaSWeeklyBusinessMeeting Agenda & News for M 6/1 10am PT -http://scott-macleod.
* *
Dear all,
Apologies again for the cancelled session today.
However, the session is rescheduled this Friday 29th of May from 4-6 PM (CEST). We will welcome Devika Narayan (Lecturer, Bristol Digital Futures Institute, University of Bristol) for a talk in english "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation".
If you want to attend on-site, please join us at the Sciences Po campus (1 place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, Paris, 75007), room K.008.
If you want to follow online, the link remains the same: https://sciencespo.zoom.
See you this Friday!
See you this Friday!
---
Bonjour à toutes et à tous,
Encore toutes nos excuses pour l’annulation de la séance d’aujourd’hui.
Nous avons toutefois le plaisir de vous annoncer que la séance est reprogrammée au vendredi 29 mai, de 16h à 18h (CEST). Nous accueillerons comme prévu Devika Narayan (Bristol Digital Futures Institute, University of Bristol) pour une conférence en anglais intitulée « Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A Thesis on Technological Transformation ».
Si vous souhaitez assister à la séance en présentiel, rendez-vous sur le campus de Sciences Po (1 place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, Paris, 75007), en salle K.008.
Si vous souhaitez suivre la séance en ligne, le lien Zoom reste inchangé : https://sciencespo.zoom.us/j/
Au plaisir de vous retrouver vendredi,
Adrien Tournier, Hugo Estecahandy & Valentin Goujon.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
De : Mat Num <gdt.matnum@gmail.com>
Date: mer. 27 mai 2026 à 14:26
Subject: CANCELLED - Digital Materialities seminar with Devika Narayan (Univ. of Bristol), "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation"
To:
De : Mat Num <gdt.matnum@gmail.com>
Date: mer. 27 mai 2026 à 14:26
Subject: CANCELLED - Digital Materialities seminar with Devika Narayan (Univ. of Bristol), "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation"
To:
*
10:18 am Pacific Time
devika.narayan@bristol.ac.uk, Pin - Siddartha Mazumdar <sid.mazumdar@gmail.com>, Jane MacLeod <jkbmacleod@icloud.com>, Ed Smyth <esmythmd@gmail.com>, Byron Hann <byronhann1@gmail.com>, George Preston <em4gdcp@btinternet.com>, Scott Gordon MacLeod <president@worlduniversityandschool.org>, flora.halford-macleod@bristol.ac.uk, info@institute.global |
Dear Devika, (Ed Smyth MD, Old Fettesians' Flora Halford-MacLeod MBBS, George Preston, & Tony Blair, Ed Smyth MD affiliated with Kaiser Permanente health care organization NorCal, All),
Greetings. Glad to learn that instead your talk has been rescheduled for Friday, May 29, 2026 at the same time at 7 am Pacific Time, and see PS. (Also received a bounce back from this flora.halford-macleod@bristol.
Brainstorming, am curious whether even Flora could begin to practice clinically as physician in a Kaiser Permanente NorCal hospital this autumn ... and toward becoming a MD beyond her MBBS and GP (in Britain) ... AND as the online WUaS Medical Schools (https://wiki.
And how could we grow these online WUaS Medical Schools eg in the back of Toyota Teaching Hospital buses in England and France, but also especially in the developing world, eg in India, Africa and in the poorest countries around the world?
Looking forward to your takk on Friday Devika!
Yogic-ally (as in 8 limbs of Yoga), thanks, see you Friday soon, abolition-ally, best regards,
Scott
Will add further to -
PS
Apologies again for the cancelled session today.
However, the session is rescheduled this Friday 29th of May from 4-6 PM (CEST). We will welcome Devika Narayan (Lecturer, Bristol Digital Futures Institute, University of Bristol) for a talk in english "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation".
If you want to attend on-site, please join us at the Sciences Po campus (1 place Saint-Thomas d'Aquin, Paris, 75007), room K.008.
If you want to follow online, the link remains the same: https://sciencespo.zoom.us/j/
See you this Friday!
PPS
Fascinating Old Fettesian too Tony Blair TwitterX post & article -
..
#TonyBlairPM: "There are 2 epochal changes happening ...– one geopolitical, the other technological –" How can free @WorldUnivAndSch help w both & 200 #WUaSunivs https://wiki.
Retweeting
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
@InstituteGC
The need for a new agenda for Britain
* *
Friday, May 29, 2026
after Devika Narayan's talk from Sciences Po at 7 am Pacific Time in the SF Bay Area
Dear Devika, (Ed Smyth MD, Old Fettesians' Flora Halford-MacLeod MBBS, George Preston, & former PM Tony Blair of Great Britain, US Senator and former Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren, again Ed Smyth MD affiliated with Kaiser Permanente health care organization NorCal, Ramya Chandrasekhar, Hugo Estecahandy, Adrien Tournier & Valentin Goujon, All),
Thanks for your interesting Sciences' Po talk earlier today, Devika, which I participated in from the SF Bay Area (and see too the PSs) -
Friday, 29 May (4:00-6:00 pm, CET), both online and at Sciences Po Paris (1 place Saint-Thomas d’Aquin, 75007).
We are delighted to welcome Devika Narayan, Lecturer at the University of Bristol, for a presentation entitled:
"Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation"
Abstract: This talk will offer a perspective on digital transformation that melds sociotechnical analysis of computing infrastructure with industrial and organisational political economy. The old-fashioned, unglamourous computer industry has given way to a much more pervasive and powerful tech sector. I will explore this shift to discuss the material practices of acceleration, resulting in capitalist volatility.
In conversation with a number of your historical readings of the computing, capitalism, and industrial revolutions too, I'd like to share with all of you the first 8 chapters of my upcoming book (which comes into conversation with Manuel Castells' analyses in "The Information Age: Economy, Society, and Culture," and "The Rise of the Network Society," and see this trilogy too of which this is the first book) -
"Society, Information Technology and the Global University" forthcoming book (Academic Press at World University and School - @WUaSPress )
I was surprised to not hear much about power, re its importance theoretically in sociology, in your talk.
I also searched on in clarifying my thinking about these -
cloud computing capitalism
cloud computing capitalism and resistance - manuel castells
How can the acceleration of AI cloud computing's transformation even challenge 'big tech' companies' monopolistic practices ... and how would sociologist Manuel Castells demonstrate and give examples of this?
... and see the INCREDIBLE AI Mode responses to these below, and which also helped clarify for me some of the directions of your sociological interpretations in your "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation" talk.
Do you think however that this cloud computing capitalism technological transformation is improving livelihoods in India, Great Britain, and France as great benefits that might offset which you characterize?
And how Devika are you beginning to use for example Gemini AI and AI Mode in Google search for your very timely research in a fast changing and fascinating area sociologically?
All the best, sociologically, and thanks so much,
Scott
Will add this further to this related blog post -
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Yellow-crested cockatoo: [Air-L] Digital Materials Seminar with Devika Narayan (University of Bristol): "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation"
Yellow-crested cockatoo: [Air-L] Digital Materials Seminar with Devika Narayan (University of Bristol): "Between the Cloud and a Hard Place: A thesis on technological transformation"
PS
cloud computing capitalism
Cloud computing capitalism refers to an economic system where a handful of technology conglomerates—principally ...... , Microsoft, and Google—own and lease the foundational digital infrastructure of the global economy. This model has transformed data and computing power into the dominant form of capital, centralizing enormous wealth and market control. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The shift to cloud-based economic models has completely rewritten how value and infrastructure operate in the modern market: [1, 2]
1. From Asset-Light Platforms to Asset-Heavy Infrastructure
Unlike the early days of platform capitalism (e.g., Airbnb or Uber, which own few physical assets), cloud capitalism relies on massive, highly physical infrastructure. Tech giants are pouring billions into global data centers, semiconductor supply chains, and server farms. These physical networks serve as the absolute foundation for modern artificial intelligence, cloud storage, and corporate IT. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. Rent-Seeking and Subscription Models
In traditional industrial capitalism, profits came from manufacturing and selling physical goods. In the cloud era, companies operate primarily as rentiers. Businesses no longer purchase and maintain their own servers; instead, they continuously rent digital capacity and computing power on an ongoing, subscription basis. This structure extracts perpetual wealth from the broader corporate ecosystem, making the cloud provider a permanent bottleneck in the market. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
3. Accelerated Volatility and Market Power
For traditional businesses, moving to cloud services offers a way to cut costs, but it also strips away fixed capital relations. Companies become entirely dependent on scalable digital assets leased from tech giants, which can raise fees at will. The oligopoly controlling this infrastructure essentially dictates the rules of engagement and the pricing for the entire digital economy. [1, 2]
4. Technofeudalism and the Cloud
Economists like Yanis Varoufakis argue that this extreme concentration of power represents a fundamental mutation of capitalism—often referred to as technofeudalism. In this view, tech monopolies act like feudal lords, extracting "digital ground rent" from both consumers and other businesses that rely on their platforms. Instead of relying strictly on market competition, these platforms govern the environments where human behavior and digital interactions occur. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
5. State Alliances and Geopolitics
Computing power and cloud infrastructure have become crucial resources in global geopolitics. Governments and tech companies now form strategic alliances. States require these massive digital platforms to achieve technological supremacy and artificial intelligence dominance, which in turn leads to public subsidies and friendly regulatory environments for cloud expansion. [1, 2, 3]
To dive deeper into the political, economic, and industrial realities of this shift, you can explore the research findings on cloud capitalism published by the Sage Journals or check out the socio-economic analysis presented by the Transnational Institute regarding digital capitalism.
PPS
searched on
cloud computing capitalism and resistance - manuel castells
Cloud computing acts as the technological infrastructure of modern digital capitalism, enabling global corporations to monopolize data and network flows. Through the lens of Manuel Castells’ "network society", this dynamic sparks constant friction as localized resistance movements use these very same digital networks to build counter-power and alternative economic models. [1]
Castells’ Framework: From Networks to the Cloud
- The Space of Flows: Castells argues that global capitalism is organized around the "space of flows"—the rapid, invisible, and borderless movement of information, capital, and technology. Cloud computing represents the ultimate realization of this, centralizing computing power and data into the hands of mega-corporations (e.g., Microsoft Azure, A.., Google Cloud). [1, 2]
- Programming and Switching Power: Power in the network society relies on two main pillars. Programming refers to the ability to dictate the rules and algorithms of digital platforms. Switching is the ability to connect different networks. Cloud monopolies hold immense programming power, essentially acting as the gatekeepers for the modern economy. [1]
Capitalist Accumulation
- Data as the New Raw Material: In Castells' informational mode of development, data is the primary raw material. The cloud provides the scalable architecture needed to collect, process, and monetize user information on a global scale. [1]
- Asymmetry and Inequality: Cloud capitalism exacerbates inequalities. While it promises a decentralized, utopian digital experience, it actually centralizes immense wealth and control with a few dominant tech platforms, leaving regions with poor digital infrastructure economically marginalized. [1, 2, 3]
Resistance and Counter-Power
- Networked Social Movements: True to Castells' theory that "where there is power, there is always counter power," the networked architecture of the internet also empowers grassroots resistance. Movements can easily mobilize across borders by reprogramming digital networks to organize protests, disrupt dominant narratives, and spread alternative ideologies. [1, 2, 3]
- Alternative Economies: Castells points out that networked resistance extends beyond protesting. In response to the exploitation of digital capitalism, communities are cultivating "non-capitalist" behaviors such as decentralized barter networks, cooperative platforms, and social currencies that aim to bypass dominant corporate structures. [1, 2]
To dive deeper into how digital architecture dictates modern social and economic relations, you can explore Castells' foundational framework in his Information Age Trilogy or examine his empirical research on contemporary mobilizations in "Networks of Outrage and Hope."
PPPS
Hugo Estecahandy, Adrien Tournier & Valentin Goujon
Hugo Estecahandy
hugo.estecahandy@geode.science
Adrien Tournier
adrien.tournier@lecnam.net
Valentin Goujon
valentin.goujon@sciencespo.fr
hugo.estecahandy@geode.science
Hugo Estecahandy
hugo.estecahandy@geode.science
Adrien Tournier
adrien.tournier@lecnam.net
Valentin Goujon
valentin.goujon@sciencespo.fr
hugo.estecahandy@geode.science
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
PPPPS
My notes
and from text-chat to everyone, and with Ramya (below in the PPPPPS)
PPPPS A
Did people see
Google I'O 2026 - https://io.google/2026/ (amiable in recording) AND ...
How to grow a #WorldwideAbolitionMovement further w/ all these remarkable #AIandML developments eg #UniversalCommerceProtocol & in @WorldUnivAndSch coding for all 7.9B people & to distribute #PiCrypto & potentially to end poverty worldwide?
https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/
https://x.com/scottmacleod/ status/2056807686940106777
https://x.com/WUaSPress/ status/2056807612864491965
https://x.com/HarbinBook/ status/2056807530039587253
https://x.com/sgkmacleod/ status/2056807316645945479
https://x.com/TheOpenBand/ status/2056807217689710903
https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/ status/2056807072017301818
https://www.linkedin.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/
PPPPS B
Devika Narayan's argument from online slides
Did people see
Google I'O 2026 - https://io.google/2026/ (amiable in recording) AND ...
How to grow a #WorldwideAbolitionMovement further w/ all these remarkable #AIandML developments eg #UniversalCommerceProtocol & in @WorldUnivAndSch coding for all 7.9B people & to distribute #PiCrypto & potentially to end poverty worldwide?
https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/
https://x.com/scottmacleod/ status/2056807686940106777
https://x.com/WUaSPress/ status/2056807612864491965
https://x.com/HarbinBook/ status/2056807530039587253
https://x.com/sgkmacleod/ status/2056807316645945479
https://x.com/TheOpenBand/ status/2056807217689710903
https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/ status/2056807072017301818
https://www.linkedin.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/
PPPPS B
Devika Narayan's argument from online slides
Argument: CLOUD CAPITALISM 1) Investment into machines has historically slowed down the pace of experimentation and business model transformations ('blitz scaling') or 1a) Machines enable new growth strategies but induce (?) 2) Cloud computing stands to liquify fixed capital arrangements 3) This generates chronic instability and continuous experimentation …
PPPPS C
my definition of the cloud which a google search confirmed -
the cloud is just an extension of the distributed World Wide Web made of programs
Also
cloud computing is "a paradigm for enabling network access to a scalable and elastic pool of shareable physical or virtual resources with self-service provisioning and administration on demand"
PPPPS D
Question -
What role does hacking, say in India, play in responding to companies’ monopolistic digital tactics in the distributive internet (one definition of the CLOUD) which web (on the internet) or cloud, is still open in many ways due to network neutrality for example ( in the US) ? What are skillful small company strategies to navigate large IT companies (say from India, or Great Britain, or France)? How can countries create scalable IT companies ?
PPPPS E
Cloud capitalism and the rise of scalable assets
and costs
The cost of acceleration
Fixed capital
Cost of dependency on small number of large providers
Lock in practices that these big companies do
General risk of costs
Advantages
PPPPS F
Narayan, D. 2026. Cloud capitalism and the rise of scalable digital assets. The Information Society, 1-13.
PPPPS G
Thank you (As a possible counter example: Free World University and School is in a #GrowWithGoogleWUaS program … and seeks to develop free universities in all 200 countries, and in seeking to code for speakers of all 7159 living languages, and from there for all 7.9 billion people and to end poverty, and facilitate free universal education both wiki people to people and free WUaS degrees online from home .. which WUaS graduates may create numerous companies that challenge large tech companies’ monopolistic practices - https://
PPPPS H
Devika, Thank you further!
and
How might this history of the internet (coming into conversation with sociologist Professor Manuel Castells, long time UC Berkeley professor compared to Marx and Weber by the Wall Street Journal) -
Social History of the Internet for the course
Society and Information Technology
https://www.youtube.com/
http://
... and re also my upcoming book "Society, Information Technology and the Global University"
... help your arguments re Cloud capitalism and the rise of scalable digital assets ?
PPPPPS
Ramya Chandrasekhar
ramya.chandrasekhar@cnrs.fr
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
https://scholar.google.com/
https://cis.cnrs.fr/en/ramya_
https://cis.cnrs.fr/
To Ramya
In the context of the US, the US federal government can provide a way to counteract private cloud computing, for example, by leveling the playing field, I’d suggest, Ramya … worldwide on a distributed internet … I hope World University and School in creating a realistic virtual earth for everything will become a new development in distributed computing in cloud computing and re capitalism too & will help
searched on
How might this history of the internet (coming into conversation with sociologist Professor Manuel Castells, long time UC Berkeley professor compared to Marx and Weber by the Wall Street Journal) -
Social History of the Internet for the course
Society and Information Technology
https://www.youtube.com/
http://
... and re also my upcoming book "Society, Information Technology and the Global University"
... help your arguments re Cloud capitalism and the rise of scalable digital assets ?
PPPPPS
Ramya Chandrasekhar
ramya.chandrasekhar@cnrs.fr
https://www.linkedin.com/in/
https://scholar.google.com/
https://cis.cnrs.fr/en/ramya_
https://cis.cnrs.fr/
To Ramya
In the context of the US, the US federal government can provide a way to counteract private cloud computing, for example, by leveling the playing field, I’d suggest, Ramya … worldwide on a distributed internet … I hope World University and School in creating a realistic virtual earth for everything will become a new development in distributed computing in cloud computing and re capitalism too & will help
searched on
how In the context of the US, can the US federal government provide a way to counteract private companies' cloud computing, for example, & by leveling the playing field?
The US federal government counteracts the dominance of private cloud computing and levels the digital playing field through antitrust legislation, targeted public procurement policies, open-source mandates, and strict compliance standards. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
The US government balances the cloud computing ecosystem and ensures equitable competition through several key mechanisms:
1. Antitrust and Market Competition Legislation
- Restricting Monopolies: Federal entities actively monitor and combat market concentration to prevent major cloud service providers (CSPs) from monopolizing government contracts and stifling smaller competitors. [1]
- Legislative Action: Lawmakers have introduced frameworks like the Protecting AI and Cloud Competition in Defense Act to reduce over-reliance on a few dominant tech companies and promote a fairer bidding ecosystem. [1]
2. Strategic Public Procurement and Contract Vehicles
- Standardizing Acquisitions: The General Services Administration (GSA) utilizes Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts and large-scale agreements (like the OneGov strategy) to lower costs and create a standardized "one-stop shop" that makes it easier for diverse vendors to do business with federal agencies. [1, 2, 3, 4]
- Multi-Cloud Strategies: Agencies deploy multi-cloud and hybrid environments so that they are not locked into proprietary technology, spreading workloads across multiple public and private CSPs. [1, 2]
3. Regulatory Frameworks and Standardization
- FedRAMP Implementation: The Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) standardizes security and risk assessments for cloud products and services across the federal government. While this ensures high cybersecurity standards, it also establishes clear, leveled requirements that all private cloud vendors must meet to compete for government dollars. [1, 2]
4. Open Source and Democratized Compute Infrastructure
- Open-Source Mandates: The government promotes the development and utilization of open-source cloud architectures. By relying on and contributing to open-source software, agencies reduce their dependence on vendor-specific "walled gardens" and restrictive software licensing practices. [1, 2]
- Public Compute Initiatives: Programs like the National Science Foundation's CloudBank level the playing field by granting academic institutions and smaller developers subsidized access to advanced cloud resources. [1]
5. Research, Development, and Infrastructure Subsidies
- Advancing US Leadership: Government policies, such as recent Executive Orders focused on AI infrastructure, fund the construction and development of next-generation data centers. This socializes the massive risk of building foundational infrastructure, which in turn fosters a highly resilient, competitive digital ecosystem for both public and private entities to utilize
https://share.google/aimode/
replying to
Ramya
Interesting … In the context of Google, which gets much funding from the US government … and which I would argue is socially responsible, but also "Big Tech" and strategizing around questions of growth as a huge US company … I think the acceleration of AI Cloud transformation can challenge big companies' monopolistic practices … US Federal Government - Google is a public-private development in cloud it. What do you think? (Free WUaS is also in a #GrowWithGoogleWUaS program … as a disclaimer) What do you think? )
and see this ...
PPPPPPS
How can the acceleration of AI cloud computing's transformation even challenge 'big tech' companies' monopolistic practices ... and how would sociologist Manuel Castells demonstrate and give examples of this?
Artificial intelligence (AI) cloud computing can challenge "big tech" monopolies by decentralizing infrastructural control and lowering barriers to entry. Startups and open-source models can bypass proprietary hardware lock-ins, utilizing globally distributed, serverless cloud architectures to host powerful models locally or on alternative, specialized cloud networks. [1, 2, 3]
Sociologist Manuel Castells would demonstrate this challenge using his seminal theory of the Network Society. His framework views society not through rigid, top-down corporate hierarchies, but as a fluid ecosystem of "nodes" and "flows". [1, 2, 3]
Here is how Castells would analyze this dynamic:
1. "The Space of Flows" Overcoming "The Space of Places"
- The Monopolistic Practice: Historically, 'Big Tech' controlled this space by owning the physical infrastructure (server farms, fiber-optic cables, centralized computing clusters). [1, 2]
- The AI Challenge: The acceleration of cloud computing means that digital infrastructure is becoming virtualized and decentralized. By utilizing on-demand edge computing and distributed processing, independent innovators can route around Big Tech's centralized server chokeholds, creating alternative nodes of knowledge production. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
2. The Restructuring of Capital and Innovation Nodes
Castells highlights how capital is highly concentrated in the hands of global networks, allowing massive incumbent firms to acquire disruptive startups before they become competitive threats. [1]
- The Monopolistic Practice: Dominant cloud providers (e.g., Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure) offer computing credits and platform access to AI startups, functioning as a form of "soft" vertical integration where the giants control both the storefront and the underlying computational plumbing. [1, 2]
- The AI Challenge: Because open-source foundation models (such as Meta’s Llama or the open models hosted on Hugging Face) are becoming increasingly accessible, AI development no longer requires massive capital outlays to train models from scratch. This allows a decentralized, collaborative "variable geometry" of developers to innovate without being absorbed by tech behemoths. [1]
3. "The Power of Identity" and Alternative Networks
- The Challenge: Castells would point to the open-source AI community and decentralized computing networks as a form of sociotechnical resistance. Instead of depending on closed, proprietary algorithms, communities of developers, academics, and civic organizations can collaborate to build open AI ecosystems tailored to local needs or public interests. By pooling consumer and developer resources into peer-to-peer or decentralized networks, they erode the dependency on Big Tech gatekeepers.
*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-crested_cockatoo
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cacatua_sulphurea
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Cacatua_galerita
https://species.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cacatua_galerita
....
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.