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  • Domesticity and digital eugenics: design cultures of Silicon Valley

Hernan, Luis and Ramirez-Figueroa, Carolina, 2021, Conference or Workshop, Domesticity and digital eugenics: design cultures of Silicon Valley at Design Culture(s) Cumulus Rome 2021, Rome, 8-11 Jun 2021.

Abstract or Description:

The paper attempts to make sense of the two more recent areas of interest of Silicon Valley’s ‘gang of four’: Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, Facebook. The last few years have seen this group of four turning their attention to the development of ‘smart’ ecologies with a focus on automation and the development of a 'house of tomorrow'. More recently, reports have emerged of increasing interest in biotechnologies and Synthetic Biology start-ups. Interest in these two areas are commonly interpreted as the logical consequence of the need to find new profitable markets. We suggest, instead, that modification of the human body is central to understanding these corporate actions. We use the notion of eugenics as an interpretative framework to understand these new areas of expansion, suggesting the creation of a hegemonic culture gestated by digital technologies.

Official URL: https://cumulusroma2020.org/proceedings/
Subjects: Other > Technologies > J900 Others in Technology
Architecture > K100 Architecture
Creative Arts and Design > W900 Others in Creative Arts and Design
School or Centre: School of Design
Uncontrolled Keywords: internet of things; smart home; Silicon Valley; architecture; eugenics
Date Deposited: 01 Dec 2021 13:03
Last Modified: 06 Dec 2021 14:42
URI: https://researchonline.rca.ac.uk/id/eprint/4938
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