Devs and the Culture of Tech
Devs and the Culture of Tech
A newsletter in which I think too much about tech culture elites, the ideologies they cling to and their gleeful aspirations to create the most tediously horrific dystopias. Click to read Unserious Academic, by James Allen-Robertson, a Substack publication. Launched 15 days ago.
Hello all,
TLDR: I've written some stuff about tech ideology via the TV show Devs. It's all free, no paid subs etc. Would love it if anyone interested wanted to take a look - link is to my blog.
Longer blurb: Firstly if this is severely poor form please tell me to do one, throw tomatoes etc.
I'm a Sociologist that focuses on tech culture. Particularly elite tech culture and the far right. I started off writing about the piracy cultures of the 2000s and their role in the switch to digital distribution back in 2013. Just by virtue of paying attention to tech ideology I've now ended up also researching far right extremism and radicalisation and do a lot of data analysis with antifacist orgs. I also used to flirt around in the Sneerclub post-rat spaces on reddit and twitter a few years back too.
Anyway, I've been researching NRx and the wider fashy nature of tech since 2016 but because of "issues" I've not yet got much out into the world. I'm working on a book that more closely examines the way that the history and ideologies in tech culture play well to far right extremism and what it might say about the process of radicalisation more generally.
However, because I'm tired of glacial academic publishing timelines I've also started a research blog called Unserious Academic and for my first project I use the Alex Garland TV show Devs to illustrate and explore some of the things I know about tech culture. I've put out three parts so far with a fourth one ready for Monday. I'm not looking for paid subs or anything, all free I just figured some people might be interested.
I also desperately need a place where people know what a neoreactionary is so I can more easily complain about them so I'd like to hang around longer term too. Thanks for your time!
Hello, and welcome!
I also desperately need a place where people know what a neoreactionary is so I can more easily complain about them so I’d like to hang around longer term too.
Sounds like you're in the right place. Please complain as much as you need, so we can all scream, sigh and sneer into the void in unison.
for my first project I use the Alex Garland TV show Devs
I haven't read your piece yet, because I'd like to watch devs, unspoiled, at some point, but have bookmarked to come back to at a later point :)
We span the wide range of people who intimately know what NRx beliefs are and how to define it, to me, who just knows they suck and are the worst and somehow literally every single bad idea in my lifetime can be traced back to them.
Thanks for the welcome, and yes please watch first!
you do an excellent job of writing. several times reading this i had to mentally delete paragraphs of explanations for some of the rationalist thoughts and ideology because you have described it perfectly in just a sentence or two.
shared this with some of my in-tech-but-skeptical friends. you deserve a bigger audience
Thanks for the positive feedback! I have a tendency to over explain things (so much cut text already) partly because I'm never too sure of how far down the rabbit hole I've gotten and if a general audience would be lost without it. Glad I was able to pull it together with a flourish though!