Merge branch 'master' of https://git.vvvvvvaria.org/mb/bots-as-digital-infrapunctures

content/Section 2 - Harm in Computational Infrastructures/2-introduction-seda.md

@@ -5,11 +5,9 @@ Summary: Seda Gürses, computational infrastructures & *POTs (Protective Optimiz
 
 Seda Gürses is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Multi-Actor Systems at TU Delft at the Faculty of Technology Policy and Management, and an affiliate at the COSIC Group at the Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), KU Leuven. Beyond her academic work, she also collaborated with artistic initiatives including Constant vzw, Bootlab, De-center, ESC in Brussels, Graz and Berlin.
 
-Gürses's work provides us with handles to study computational infrastructures. Specifically in the paper she co-wrote on *POTs (Protective Optimization Technologies)*[^pots], she proposes forms of critical *optimization* [what is critical optimisation?]. Here, she is questioning the notion of "fair" technologies, the limits of such practices and who is involved in reviewing their impact. An important factor in this paper is the proposal to approach computational infrastructures as systems, thus shifting focus from the algorithm itself to the economical, political and social context in which the algorithm operates.
-
-By questioning how *protective* technologies [what are protective technologies, how does she define them?] could *optimize* their mode of operation in a truly fair way, it provides means for affected parties to address negative impacts of digital systems. The work departs from a thorough consideration of multiple forms of *harm* framed as *externalities* [what are externalities? maybe they need a separate sentence if we want to unpack this term] caused by computational infrastructures, such as privacy, discrimination, low wages, surveillance and exploration risks [what is exploration risks?]. How a *POT* could possible engage with these externalities is furthermore illustrated through a range of activist and artistic deployed examples of repurposed optimization technologies that correct [does she use the term correct?], shift of expose these harms.
-
+Gürses' work provides us with handles to study computational infrastructures. Specifically the paper she co-wrote on *POTs (Protective Optimization Technologies)*[^pots], which proposes forms of critical *optimization* practices. Such practices *"aim at addressing risks and harms that cannot be captured from the fairness perspective and cannot be addressed without a cooperative service provider"*. The paper questions current "fairness" approaches, by inquiring their limitations and creating space for alternative ways to review them. An important factor in this paper is the proposal to approach computational infrastructures as something that is far more than a technological ecosystem alone, thus shifting focus from the system itself to the economical, political and social context in which the system operates.
 
+By questioning how technologies could *optimize* their mode of operation in a truly fair way, *POTs* provide means for affected parties to address negative impacts of digital systems. The work departs from a thorough consideration of multiple forms of *harm* framed as *externalities* caused by computational infrastructures. Examples of such externalities include privacy, discrimination, low wages and surveillance. How a *POT* could possible engage with these externalities is furthermore illustrated through a range of activist, artistic and deployed examples of repurposed optimization technologies that correct, shift or expose these harms. *Externalities* is one of the concepts and phrases in the paper that are borrowed from software and requirements engineering, and from economics and social sciences. 
 
 <!-- They effect different externalities, operate on the basis of specific embedded values and define restrictions of what can be built on top of the infrastructure and what not.  -->
 
@@ -29,6 +27,8 @@ By questioning how *protective* technologies [what are protective technologies,
 
 <!-- And how to possibly correct, shift or expose these harms? -->
 
+<br>
+
 # Footnotes
 
 [^pots]: Bogdan Lulynych, Rebekah Overdorf, Carmela Troncoso, Seda Gürses "POTs: Protective Optimization Technologies" (2020). <https://arxiv.org/pdf/1806.02711.pdf>

content/Section 4 - Bot Logic/1-introduction.md

@@ -1,14 +1,17 @@
 Title: Introduction: Bot Logic
 Slug: 01-s4-introduction
 Date: 2020-11-01 12:00
-Summary: Bots as computational infrapunctures
+Summary: Bots as computational infrapunctures.
 
-*Infrapuncture* is a helpful term at a time when there is a lot of discussion around the political roles of automated agents in digital infrastructures. 
+*Infrapuncture* is a helpful term at a time when there is a lot of discussion around the political roles of automated agents in digital infrastructures. Making a bot can be a way to probe and understand potential forms of interventions, create new imaginaries or deflate existing hegemonic structures. 
 
-Many online communities engage with bots, for example the editor community of English Wikipedia, which consists of both humans and bots. The interactions between them go beyond the maintenance of Wikipedia. Instead, affective relations are formed wherein the bots are anthropomorphised. 
+A bot is however always relying on the technical restrictions and possibilities of interaction defined by the infrastructure. In order to run a bot, a technical understanding of this infrastructure is therfor required. The API (Application Programming Inferface) is an important entry point here. This technical framework provides a programming interface to communicate with a system. The API can be understood as a *door protocol* that is designed by the owner of an infrastructure, which eventually defines the technical imaginary of a platform.
 
-Making a bot can also be a way to probe and understand potential forms of interventions, create new imaginaries or deflate existing hegemonic structures. 
+Before launching a bot into a digital environment, the bot maker does not only need to find a technical entry point, but also a social one. Writing a bot does not only imply technical knowledge about an API of a platform, it also implies a thorough understanding of what determines the possibilities of interaction and the social norms established within a social environment. 
 
-Before launching a bot into a digital environment, the bot maker needs find both a technical and a social entry point. Writing a bot does therefor not only imply technical knowledge about an API (Application Programming Inferface) of a platform. It also implies a thorough understanding of what determines the possibilities of interaction and the social norms established within a social environment. In the case of Wikipedia, it means that a bot maker needs to develop an understanding of the social dynamics of the community of editors and users of Wikipedia. And that's of course just one example. Bots act differently depending on the platform on which they are running.
+By introducing *bot logic*, the aim of this section is to highlight the sociality that shapes (or is shaped by) bots. 
+
+<!-- The editor community of English Wikipedia consists, for example, of both humans and bots. The interactions between them go beyond the maintenance of Wikipedia. Instead, affective relations are formed wherein the bots are anthropomorphised. In the case of Wikipedia, it means that a bot maker needs to develop an understanding of the social dynamics of the community of editors and users of Wikipedia, in order to make a bot that is embedded well into the community. The understanding of Wikipedia's social dynamics are crucial in order to make a bot that can interact with the work of multiple individuals that edit Wikipedia, ranging from first-time editors, dedicated editors, groups coming together during edit-a-thon or different kind of trolls. And that's of course just one example. Bots act differently depending on the platform on which they are running. -->
+
+<!-- While deconstructing infrastructures in order to find the points of stress, harm or hurt, the undoing is as important as the doing. Deconstruction can happen simultaneously to construction and in fact this is the strength of accupuncture: it does not work on its own. -->
 
-By introducing this as *bot logic*, the aim is to highlight the sociality that shapes (or is shaped by) bots. 

content/Section 4 - Bot Logic/2-bot-logic-vs-platform-logic.md

@@ -1,15 +1,17 @@
 Title: Bot Logic vs. Platform Logic
 Slug: 02-s4-bot-logic
-Date: 2020-11-01 12:01
-Summary: What kind of logics do bots use to operate?
+Date: 2020-11-01 12:02
+Summary: *Bot logic* disperses, fragments, develops intimate knowledge & encourages new habit formation.
 
-What kind of logics do bots use to operate?
+<!-- What kind of logics do bots use to operate? -->
 
-*Bot logic* refers to the situational effect of bots upon a socio-technical ecology and their potential to infiltrate and co-exist with server-side conditions. The term *bot logic* is phrased as a response to *platform logic*, which Jonas Andersson Schwarz describes as 
+<!-- *Bot logic* refers to the situational effect of bots upon a socio-technical ecology and their potential to infiltrate and co-exist with server-side conditions.  -->
+
+The term *bot logic* is phrased as a response to *platform logic*, which Jonas Andersson Schwarz describes as 
 
 > digital platforms enacting a twofold logic of micro-level technocentric control and macro-level geopolitical domination, while at the same time having a range of generative outcomes, arising between these two levels[^platformlogic].
 
-What are the differences between *bot logic* and *platform logic*? 
+To unpack the term *bot logic* further, we will look at four differences between *bot logic* and *platform logic*.
 
 ----------
 

content/Section 4 - Bot Logic/3-examples.md

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+Title: Some Examples of Bots
+Slug: 03-s3-examples
+Date: 2020-11-01 12:03
+Summary: What are some examples of bots?
+
+We will give a few examples of bots. They examplify how *bot logics* are put into practice.
+
+------------
+
+**Parliament edits**
+
+...
+
+**OCR bots**
+
+...
+

content/Section 4 - Bot Logic/4-bot-behaviour.md

@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 Title: Bot behaviour
-Slug: 03-s4-bot-behaviour
-Date: 2020-11-01 12:02
-Summary:
+Slug: 04-s4-bot-behaviour
+Date: 2020-11-01 12:04
+Summary: As programmable objects bots have particular action modes.
 
-As programmable objects, bots have particular action modes. Below some examples (although this is a non-exhaustive list).
+As programmable objects bots have particular *action modes*. 
+
+Below some examples (although this is a non-exhaustive list).
 
 - *repetition*: bots can be run repeatedly
 - *condition*: bots are often written in response to a particular condition
@@ -11,10 +13,10 @@ As programmable objects, bots have particular action modes. Below some examples
 - *memory*: bots can rely on a database
 - *tempo*: bots can operate at a specific time frame as described by the programmer
 
-Of course, these action modes can also be *executed* by humans. 
+Of course, these action modes can also be executed by humans. 
 
 It is by no means surprising that many Twitter users are mistaken for bots, or that the term itself has attained a derogatory meaning. However, an interesting phenomenon can be observed on platforms such as Twitter, where human users have adopted a type of bot behaviour to create networks of dissent and to push activist counter-narratives. 
 
-Such a moment happened recently on Dutch Twitter. In response to the Black Lives Matter protests, extreme right wing politician Geert Wilders posted an image on Twitter on June 5th 2020 using the hashtag #ZwartePietMatters.[^zwartepiet] Following this post, a wave of ... from the k-pop community ...
+<!-- Such a moment happened recently on Dutch Twitter. In response to the Black Lives Matter protests, extreme right wing politician Geert Wilders posted an image on Twitter on June 5th 2020 using the hashtag #ZwartePietMatters.[^zwartepiet] Following this post, a wave of ... from the k-pop community ... -->
 
-[^zwartepiet]: Zwarte Piet is a ...
+<!-- [^zwartepiet]: Zwarte Piet is a ... -->

content/Section 4 - Bot Logic/4-examples.md

@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-Title: Some Examples of Bots
-Slug: 02-s3-examples
-Date: 2020-11-01 12:04
-Summary: What are some examples of bots?
-
-In this section, we will give a few examples of bots.
-
-Parliament edits
-OCR bots