Geert Lovink

Geert Lovink
File:Lovinkphoto.jpg
Born	1959 (age 64–65)
Nationality	Dutch
Alma mater	University of Amsterdam, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland
Occupation	Professor
Employer(s)	University of Amsterdam, Hogeschool van Amsterdam
Website	http://networkcultures.org/ http://laudanum.net/geert/

Geert Lovink (born 1959, Amsterdam) is a Research Professor of Interactive Media at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) and an Associate Professor of New Media at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Lovink earned his master's degree in political science at the University of Amsterdam, holds a PhD at the University of Melbourne on the Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture and has been a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Queensland. Lovink is the founding director of the Institute of Network Cultures, whose goals are to explore, document and feed the potential for socio-economical change of the new media field through events, publications and open dialogue.

As theorist, activist and net critic, Lovink has made an effort in helping to shape the development of the web. Since the early eighties, Lovink has been involved in a range of different projects and initiatives in the field of new media.

• 1982 Member of Adilkno
• 1989 - 1994 Editor for the media art magazine Mediamatic
• 1993 Co-founder of the support campaign for independent media in South-East Europe Press Now
• 1994 Co-founder of the Amsterdam-based free community network Digital City (DDS)
• 1995 Co-founder (together with Pit Schultz) of the international nettime circle
• 1996 - 1999 Public researcher at the Society for Old and New Media, De Waag
• 1996 Coordinating projects and teaching once a year at the IMI mediaschool in Osaka/Japan
• 2000 organizer of the Tulipomania Dotcom conference
• 2000 - 2008 Consultant/editor to the exchange program of Waag Society and Sarai New Media Centre (Delhi)
• 2001 Co-founder of FiberCulture, a forum for Australian Internet research and culture
• 2002 Co-organizer of Dark Markets, on new media and democracy in times of crisis in Vienna
• 2003 Co-organizer of Uncertain States of Reportage in Delhi
• 2004 Co-organizer (together with Trebor Scholz) of the conference on the art of (online) collaboration Free Cooperation at SUNY Buffalo

Theories

Geert Lovink was one of the key theorists behind the concept of tactical media - the use of media technologies as a tool to distribute the ideas that are opposed to an issue against different levels of government. As an Internet activist, he describes tactical media as a 'deliberately slippery term, a tool for creating "temporary consensus zones" based on unexpected alliances. A temporary alliance of hackers, artists, critics, journalists and activists.' In essence, he believes that these new resources of which audiences could become participants in actions against higher powers became an area in which many different types of people could unite. Lovink also was a founder of such projects as "nettime", "organised networks", "virtual media" and more.

Bibliography

• Lovink, Geert. Dark Fiber, Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press, 2002.
• Lovink, Geert. Uncanny Networks, Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press, 2002.
• Lovink, Geert. My First Recession, Rotterdam: NAi/V2_Publishing, 2003.
• Lovink, Geert. The Principle of Notworking, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2005.
• Lovink, Geert. 'New Media, Art and Science: Explorations Beyond the Official Discourse', in Scott McQuire and Nikos Papastergiadis (eds), Empires, Ruins + Networks: The Transcultural Agenda in Art, Melbourne: University of Melbourne Press, 2005.
• Lovink, Geert. Tactical Media, the Second Decade, Brazilian Submidialogia, 2005.
• Lovink, Geert and Rossiter, Ned. 'Dawn of the Organized Networks', Fibreculture Journal 5 2005.
• Lovink, Geert. Zero Comments: Blogging and Critical Internet Culture, London and New York: Routledge, 2007.