Contemporary Art and the Digitization of Everyday Life

This book examines how digitization affects daily life and democracy, highlighting its role in increasing political inequality. Contemporary Art and the Digitization of Everyday Life offers a critical historical perspective.

In Contemporary Art and the Digitization of Everyday Life, the author delves into the pervasive influence of digitization on our daily experiences. Rather than merely categorizing it as a technological advancement, the text presents digitization as a complex socio-historical process that significantly impacts democracy and exacerbates political inequalities. This exploration highlights how these inequalities manifest along racial, ethnic, and gender lines, offering a critical lens through which to view contemporary society.

Janet Kraynak takes a historical perspective, tracing the ideological roots of digital utopianism that emerged in the late 1960s. This ideology, which promotes a vision of technology as a means for social good, has been intertwined with the rise of a social model of computing. As the narrative unfolds, Kraynak illustrates how these beliefs were amplified by neo-liberal tech ideologies in the 1990s and the subsequent popularization of networked computing. This backdrop sets the stage for understanding the current cultural landscape.

The book argues that this ongoing cultural perspective, which aligns with progressive artistic strategies from the past, has led to a critical oversight in art historical discourse. As a result, the essential role of art in promoting radical democratic ideals is compromised. Contemporary Art and the Digitization of Everyday Life ultimately invites readers to reconsider the intersection of art, technology, and society, urging a reevaluation of how these elements shape our world today.