&w=3840&q=100)
Death of distance and rise of tribalism: Inside the disruptive world of ‘GeoTechnoGraphy'
Change is the only constant. We are often reminded about this age-old adage. But with each passing decade, year, month, day and even moment, one is facing an accelerated rate of change.
Alvin Toffler wrote more than five decades ago in his milestone book, Future Shock, 'If the last 50,000 years of man's existence were divided into lifetimes of approximately sixty-two years each, there have been about 800 such lifetimes. Of these 800, fully 650 were spent in caves.' He decoded this accelerated rate of transformation further when he wrote how 'only during the last six lifetimes did masses of men ever see a printed word. Only during the last four has it been possible to measure time with any precision. Only in the last two has anyone anywhere used an electric motor. And the overwhelming majority of all the material goods we use in daily life today have been developed within the present, the 800th, lifetime.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
When Toffler wrote his seminal book, the digital revolution, as we see it today, was still a few decades away. And if the changes in the 1950s and '60s made him believe that 'most people are grotesquely unprepared to cope with it', one wonders what he would have said today when a seismic technological change, led by the digital revolution, is underway. The digital revolution has created new cloud-based communities that transcend national and geographical barriers, providing new opportunities as well as opening up new challenges.
So, while the Internet is seen to be blurring, and often challenging too, geographical distances and national boundaries, one equally witnesses intense battles being fought for land, territories and so-called homelands. What makes the era both interesting and enigmatic is the two tendencies getting stronger at the one and the same time. To map these new changes, a new book, GeoTechnoGraphy, written by Samir Saran and Anirban Sarma, has come out, exploring how digital technology has as much become the catalyst for progress as much as a cause of intense societal disruptions.
Geotechnography: Mapping Power and Identity in the Digital Age (Hardcover) – 31 March 2025. Image: Amazon.com
The authors write, 'Our rootedness in land is now contending and conflicting – with a new sense of self built by engaging with social media and other global digital platforms. The agendas and aspirations of citizens, governments and tech businesses aren't necessarily congruent though. The friction between them is the greatest defining phenomenon of our time.'
The 'death of geography' has led to the 'mushrooming' of 'new sites for agreement and discord'. Saran and Sarma write, 'Throughout our book, we use the terms 'clouds' or 'cloud societies' to refer to virtual communities that are anchored in particular geographies but use the Internet and social media to share views, exchange opinions, band together with like-minded peers or interest groups or engage in online political action. Cloud societies influence land-based debates and often assault offline consensuses. On the other hand, they amplify real-world movements, and the momentum they generate online could cross back into the offline realm in the form of new campaigns.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Interestingly, the 'death of geography', led primarily by the massive spread of cyberspace, has resulted in a borderless world, but at the same time one is witnessing the rise of 'new tribalism', wherein 'walls could spring up between those who fall foul of code or community guidelines and suffer a form of digital excommunication and those who don't'.
The authors also highlight how 'a wedge is also driven between inhabitants of the world's various splinternets'. Giving the example of Chinese citizens being 'exposed only to online news and views curated by the Chinese Communist Party will form a vastly different worldview from Indians who experience an open, broad-based Internet'. This way 'alternate ideas' become 'invisible' (to Chinese), and 'one-sided perspectives become our universe'. Thus emerges what the authors call 'a new tribalism'.
What further makes the situation dicey, difficult and also dangerous is the mushrooming of fake news outlets in the digital space. This phenomenon is worrying because for most people across the globe, social media has become the primary source of news—what makes this even deadlier is the fact that fake news travels faster than the truth!
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
The book also looks at the growing malaise of cyber-attacks and cybercrime. The global cost of financial cybercrime is expected to skyrocket from $9.22 trillion in 2024 to $13.83 trillion in 2028. And by the end of 2024, cyber-attacks may cost the global economy more than $10.5 trillion. The number is only going to spread. Today, 65 per cent of the world's population use the internet, which was first introduced among the masses just three decades ago—and as the number of internet users further increases, especially in the Global South, the cases of cyber-attacks and cybercrime would go up too.
Then there is the big issue of artificial intelligence, whose development and usage have divided humanity, with many projecting and predicting a doomsday-kind of scenario for human beings.
The authors find four fundamental design flaws underlying today's geotechnographical landscape. One, the ideologies of Silicon Valley—the production centres of these technologies—are 'being made to force-fit local markets with a wholly different provenance'. Two, the contract between citizens and the state is 'increasingly mediated by private players' such as Microsoft, Google and Amazon.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Often these companies care little about local laws, as was witnessed in 2023 when the Government of India called out Twitter for repeatedly violating national laws. The third flaw is the dichotomy between sites of innovation and those of regulation. The fourth flaw is the 'capabilities asymmetry' between geographies that impacts their response to technology and shapes trajectories of tech adoption.
The last chapter, 'Rebooting History: A Rules-Based Order for the Digital Age', is the high point of the book, as it seeks to find a way out of the digital morass the world finds itself in. In the end, the authors come up with their verdict: 'Technology has been left for too long now to market forces. The speed at which technological breakthroughs are occurring has no historical precedent. They have disrupted almost every industry in every country, and the changes they introduce are already transforming existing systems of management and governance. The tail is wagging the dog. We elect governments, and digital tribes then try to dictate what the elected government should do.'
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
It is, therefore, not surprising that trust in technology is declining and 'techlash' is becoming obvious. 'The digital age, with its dizzying ascent and all-encompassing impact on societies, may be on thinner ice than it knows. The disruption of truth and reality, the interference with borders both political and cultural, the weaponisation of technology, and the greed for global supremacy could make the fourth industrial revolution the shortest of all tech revolutions,' write the two authors as they ask governments and tech giants to pause and look for answers: 'How do we reboot the present to ensure that the future doesn't repeat the errors of the past? And if we don't, will the history of our digital societies be all too brief?'
GeoTechnoGraphy is a pertinent, thought-provoking book. Given the time we live in, the book remains essential reading for all Indians.
Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
7 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Are your phone and Wifi blocking black hole signals? Astronomers say it could wreck Earth's cosmic map
Have you ever wondered how Earth's place in the cosmos is ascertained? Turns out, astronomers use faint signals sent from distant black holes to measure Earth's position in the universe with exceptional accuracy. These black holes are located in the hearts of galaxies and their powerful radio waves reach our planet after traveling for millions of years. Fascinating, right? Radio telescopes rely on faint black hole signals, but strong Wifi and phone transmissions are making these cosmic messages hard to hear.(NASA) Scientists record these signals using radio telescopes, then use a technique called 'geodesy' to synchronise measurements from stations all across the world. This network allows them to track Earth's motion and changes in its rotation. These measurements support key technologies like GPS, satellite navigation, Internet timing, and global communications, The Conversation reported. A crowded spectrum In the past, there was plenty of empty radio spectrum set aside for astronomy. Now, as mobile networks, Wifi routers, and countless consumer technologies expand, new slices of the spectrum are claimed every year. Each new mobile service, from 1G to 6G, grabs another piece of the radio highway. The result is increasing interference around the signals astronomers need to catch. The radio waves from distant galaxies are incredibly faint, while human-made signals can be millions of times stronger. Today's radio telescopes often struggle to hear black hole signals clearly because they are buried beneath noise from wireless devices. Even frequencies once reserved for astronomy can become crowded as devices leak radiation or governments reallocate frequencies for commercial use. The precision needed for cutting-edge science is at risk. Why clear signals matter Geodesy is more than a scientific curiosity. Systems that keep aeroplanes on course, help guide container ships, track supply chains, or settle global money transfers depend on knowing the precise location and timing of the Earth. If astronomers lose access to cosmic radio signals, many navigation and timing systems could become less reliable. Scientists propose solutions such as creating 'radio quiet zones' where wireless signals are strictly controlled, or preserving more exclusive frequencies for astronomical research. However, the radio spectrum is managed country by country, and finding global agreement is complicated. Collaboration across borders will be necessary to keep radio astronomy and the services that depend on it functioning smoothly. Many people are unaware that their Wifi routers and smartphones can affect advanced science. As wireless technology spreads, awareness and careful planning are becoming more important. Without action, the view of black holes that lets us pinpoint our place in the universe could be lost in the noise.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Astronomer brings in Chris Martin's ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow in a ‘PR masterclass' move after ‘kiss cam' drama: ‘Best brand response of the year'
Amid the media frenzy sparked by the recent Coldplay concert kiss cam controversy, data company Astronomer has found an unexpected way to handle the spotlight, by bringing in none other than Gwyneth Paltrow, ex-wife of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, as a 'very temporary' spokesperson. The Oscar-winning actress appears in a new promotional video posted on X, where she calmly introduces herself: 'Hi, I'm Gwyneth Paltrow. I've been hired on a very temporary basis to speak on behalf of the 300+ employees at Astronomer.' The unexpected cameo comes just days after Astronomer's CEO Andy Byron and HR head Kristin Cabot resigned following a viral kiss cam moment at a Coldplay concert, a clip that quickly made its way around the Internet and triggered intense public scrutiny. In the video, Paltrow says the company has been flooded with questions and is now aiming to clear the air: 'Astronomer has received a lot of questions over the last few days, and they wanted to answer the most common ones.' But it's not just damage control. Paltrow also uses the moment to spotlight the company's latest innovations in AI and data, and even plugs their upcoming Beyond Analytics conference in September. In a lighter moment, she acknowledges the team's resilience with a cheeky nod to the company's social media crew. The clip ends with her saying, 'Thank you for your interest in Astronomer.' Astronomer suddenly found itself in the spotlight, not for its data tools, but because of a viral moment involving its former top brass. At the centre of the drama are ex-CEO Andy Byron and former Head of People Kristin Cabot, whose brief appearance on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert sparked a flurry of speculation. The clip shows the two looking unusually close, only to quickly pull away when the camera landed on them. Martin, who noticed the awkward moment in real-time, quipped to the crowd that 'either they're having an affair or they're just very shy.' That line only added fuel to the already swirling rumours of a possible affair. What made the situation more controversial is that both Byron and Cabot are married—he to Megan Kerrigan, and she to Andrew Cabot, heir to a prominent Boston family and owner of Privateer Rum. As the video circulated widely, Astronomer responded by placing both executives on leave while launching an internal investigation. Byron soon resigned from his role, and Cabot followed with her own exit days later. In the words of the interim CEO, Astronomer has now 'become a household name', though certainly not in the way the company intended. Reacting to the Paltrow ad, a user wrote, 'I want to know what prompt you used on what system to come up with this PR response because chef's kiss.' Another user said, 'Guys this is a PR masterclass. You take the most viral moment of July 2025 and, instead of disaster control, make light of the situation and create the ultimate brand awareness. Bravo.' A third person wrote, 'it hits even better when you find out Gwyneth Paltrow is the ex-wife of the guy from Coldplay…the rascals in marketing cooked on this one forever internet lore.'
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Indian Express
#arseniclife: Story of a viral study & a contentious retraction
Fifteen years ago, a group of scientists made the bold claim of having discovered a microorganism that could survive using chemistry different from any known life-form. On Thursday, the journal Science, where these findings were reported, formally retracted the 2010 paper, saying it was fundamentally flawed. While there is broad scientific consensus against the study's findings, the retraction nonetheless is contentious, and potentially opens a pandora's box for academic publishing. Living beings typically rely on a number of common elements, including carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur, to build biomolecules such as DNA, proteins and lipids. In 2009, researchers collected a microbe from Mono Lake, a salty and alkaline body of water in California. In the lab, they claimed to have found that this microbe could replace phosphorus with arsenic, an element that is typically toxic. Phosphorus is essential to the structure of DNA and RNA and to the function of the energy-transporter molecule ATP. If confirmed, the discovery would change scientists' fundamental conceptions about life on Earth, and possibly beyond. Naturally, the study received a lot of attention, and travelled well beyond the typical terrain of academic conferences and scientific journals. Many scientists around the world expressed serious concerns with the study's methodology and conclusions. Most notably, the discovery was picked up by the Internet. On the then nascent Twitter, it trended with the hashtag #arseniclife. The study's authors also faced extreme scrutiny into their personal lives. Science has not accused the paper's authors of misconduct or fraud, and instead cited its latest standards for retractions, which allow it to take down a study based on 'errors' by the researchers. The decision was made after The New York Times last year reached out to Science for a comment on about the legacy of the #arseniclife affair. That inquiry 'convinced us that this saga wasn't over, that unless we wanted to keep talking about it forever, we probably ought to do some things to try to wind it down,' Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of Science since 2019, told The NYT. 'And so that's when I started talking to the authors about retracting.' But the paper's authors disagree with the decision. Their defenders, including officials at NASA, which helped fund the original research, say the move is outside the norms of what usually leads to the striking down of a published paper. Ariel Anbar, a geochemist at Arizona State University and one of the paper's authors, has said that the data itself is not flawed, and if disputes about 'data interpretation' were acceptable standards for retraction, 'you'd have to retract half the literature'. As justification for the retraction, the Science statement cites the technical objections published alongside the paper, and failed replications of the findings in 2012. But the original paper's authors have responded to the objections and criticised replication experiments. Anbar has accused Science of not providing any 'reasonable explanation' for the retraction. Ivan Oransky, a specialist in academic publishing, told Nature that this retraction raises an interesting question. There are plenty of debunked papers in the literature that could be retracted, he says. Will other publishers get on board with trying to clean up the scientific record? And if so, 'where do you start?' INPUTS FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES
