Taking a closer look at two books -- Yanis Varoufakis's 'Technofeudalism' and Eva Dou's 'House of Huawei' -- reveals the deep entanglement of technology and politics.
I agree strongly with the point about the underlying material production supporting the internet (and finance for that matter) is more important than people want to admit. This is also the thesis of basically every book by Vaclav Smil, and probably why I have read so many of his books which basically make the same point. It was also through Smil that I came to understand throughput (though I prefer the term flux) as a central organizing principle for complex systems like companies, governments, and organisms.
I think there might even be a connection between the importance of flux as an organizing principle and the power of tech/finance. Tech and finance are better ways to make a profit than farming or manufacturing because they are both ways of being a middle man in a large number of transactions. Thus they are important nodes of control. One could perhaps even say that tech/finance are the superstructure sitting atop the farming and manufacturing base. But if there is no base then eventually the superstructure gets Wyle E Coyote'd.
I agree strongly with the point about the underlying material production supporting the internet (and finance for that matter) is more important than people want to admit. This is also the thesis of basically every book by Vaclav Smil, and probably why I have read so many of his books which basically make the same point. It was also through Smil that I came to understand throughput (though I prefer the term flux) as a central organizing principle for complex systems like companies, governments, and organisms.
Thanks, Joe - good reminder to read more Vaclav Smil!
I think there might even be a connection between the importance of flux as an organizing principle and the power of tech/finance. Tech and finance are better ways to make a profit than farming or manufacturing because they are both ways of being a middle man in a large number of transactions. Thus they are important nodes of control. One could perhaps even say that tech/finance are the superstructure sitting atop the farming and manufacturing base. But if there is no base then eventually the superstructure gets Wyle E Coyote'd.