Story Seven

　First, let me quote the following, which outlines what I want to explain in this seventh episode: that there are ways to escape the shackles of global capitalist corporations by actively utilizing technology. In modern society, communication and electricity are indispensable not only for daily life but also for business activities. However, these are social infrastructure assets that the public can share, rather than being monopolized by a few large corporations. Furthermore, examples from various countries and regions show that mutual assistance-based business operations are possible not only in agriculture, dairy farming, and retail, but also in industries dealing with science and technology. On the other hand, having one's own communication and electricity can plug the leaks outside the region in the 'leaky bucket theory' mentioned in Episode 6, allowing those expenses to be circulated within the region and effectively utilized in industries such as food service and nursing care. Until now, business expansion from small-scale cooperatives has tended to be limited to a certain scale in agriculture and dairy farming due to natural constraints of land and the natural environment, and in manufacturing (including food processing), even though expansion is possible through raw material stockpiling and capital investment, a large amount of capital is required, which is why it is thought that they have become stock companies. However, the following suggests that cooperative enterprises may find new avenues for growth in the broader service sector, including the use of IT.

"Throughout this book, I have shared stories that are transforming the current power dynamics surrounding the internet. These stories remind us that we don't need to follow the top-down patterns that Silicon Valley and perhaps even Chinese tech companies take for granted today when providing access to digital technology. From Brooklyn to Detroit and Catalonia, we have witnessed mesh networks being built from the ground up and becoming successful connectable entities. They demonstrate the potential for every user to create and use technology in a way that benefits them and prevents them from being exploited in the shadows. Communities that are being exploited for data and money can also gain control over the deployment of technology, enabling them to make decisions about jobs, skills training, and educational opportunities. I have shown that even indigenous people living in the cloud forests and jungles of southern Mexico can build their own mobile phone networks. Thanks to co-ownership, these communities were able to redistribute the money earned from projects to support their families and local organizations." (Quoted from book [7-1], page 189).

　Let's take a closer look at examples of wireless communication and internet service infrastructure development in Brooklyn, located southeast of Manhattan in New York City and known for its diverse culture, and in Detroit, which once flourished as a city of automobiles. As will be discussed in Episode 10, 'disaster capitalism' also existed during the Great East Japan Earthquake. One way to counter this is to build autonomous communication infrastructure.

"Sasha Meinlas, a researcher and political activist who has explored community networks for nearly 20 years, has warned of the dangers of a digital future that prioritizes the pursuit of profit without regard for the sacrifice of others. Consider 'disaster capitalism' as an example. When people affected by hurricanes, earthquakes, or fires need help, private companies may end up funding these events without delivering services to those who truly need them. However, instead of being exploited, communities can cope by creating and maintaining their own resilient solutions, such as mesh networks (think of them as a collection of interconnected points that exchange data directly and dynamically without layers). (omitted) The Brooklyn, New York community network 'Red Hook WiFi' was one of the few communication infrastructures that functioned in the neighborhood after Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and has since been expanded to support the neighborhood in preparation for future disasters." (Quoted from book [7-1] pp. 10-11).

"In inland cities, the poor are left behind, Black and Hispanic people were particularly numerous. They had lost their jobs and the safety nets that jobs provided. As a result, several neighborhoods of the city were abandoned and taken over by gangs and drug activity. (omitted) In 2014, Nucella and her team, in collaboration with the Fair Internet Initiative and the Media Alliance Project, formed the Detroit Community Technology Project to develop technologies to serve and support the community. Technology awareness is only part of the larger goal of providing young people with basic literacy and education and supporting small and medium-sized businesses looking for partners and customers. (omitted) Detroit's community network, designed to support expanded user sovereignty and self-determination, continues to attract attention. (omitted) It is the future of the internet, truly rooted in civic ethics and values, fostering collaboration within and outside of cities, non-profit organizations, philanthropists, community organizers, and corporations."(Quoted from book [7-1] pages 12-13).

　The following is about Africa, This is an example of a company challenging the status quo with off-grid power, which aims to be self-sufficient in electricity using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, without connecting to the power grid. It can be seen as an attempt to reduce dependence on the global market economy, not only by breaking free from the control of food but also by sharing social infrastructure. Furthermore, although sales for manufacturing companies may decrease, there are aspects to emulate from the perspective of product recycling, emphasizing the use of moderately priced, high-quality goods for as long as possible rather than luxury items.

"Because power grids are not developed throughout Africa, numerous off-grid power startups such as Greenlight Planet, D-Light, Off-Grid Electric (OGE), M-Copa Solar, Phoenix International, and BBOXX have emerged. Drones, generally considered advanced technology that 'jumped in' from the wealthy parts of the world, are being used in countries like Rwanda to deliver medical supplies to remote areas. On the African continent, people without formal engineering education (i.e., those outside the expert class of the continent) are also active as technological innovators. In cities across the African continent, hardware repairs are frequently carried out on the streets, giving new life to technologies that would be considered outdated in the West (such as older iPhones)."'Quoted from book [7-1] page 46).

　In Mexico, South America, many indigenous communities have independently owned and established mobile phone networks. This may be one form of resistance against the centralized monopolization of wealth and knowledge (perhaps wisdom arising from technology and dialogue). Furthermore, it is noteworthy that in recent years, not only in Europe but also around the world, social infrastructure—water, electricity, telecommunications, transportation, education, administrative services, healthcare and welfare services, waste collection and disposal, etc.—which were privatized after the 1980s due to the expansion of neoliberalism, are being re-publicized because investors have only been able to compensate for the lack of improvement resulting from privatization through declining quality and price increases.

"The mountainous region of Oaxaca in southern Mexico is the most biologically and culturally diverse area in the Americas. There, a technological restructuring is underway, and the Indigenous Communities Communications (TIC) project, the world's largest community-owned mobile phone network, is located. TIC is an organization founded in 2012 by hackers, activists, and leaders of local indigenous communities. Born from centuries of philosophy, TIC, based in Oaxaca de Juárez, has built independent mobile phone networks owned by each of the more than 63 indigenous communities of the Zapotec, Mystec, and Mije tribes. This initiative has provided daily service to over 3,500 people despite the most challenging conditions for building communication networks in Mexico: high altitude, rain, dense forests, and a lack of reliable infrastructure such as electricity. (omitted) The name of Rhizomatica, the non-profit organization that supported the establishment of TIC, is derived from the philosophers Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. They used the term 'rhizome' to reject the common view that knowledge produced in the center is transmitted to the periphery." (Quoted from book [7-1] pages 93-101).

　Meanwhile, the EU and others are taking steps to protect not only the hardware such as communication equipment and lines, but also the vast amount of data flowing through them, which is currently monopolized by a few for-profit companies, as social infrastructure capital. The long-term implications of data utilization for 'fairness, justice, and diversity' are highlighted as key priorities, including preventing unfair gains for certain investors, avoiding the suffering of others due to such profits, and refraining from making judgments based on a single set of values such as race or religion.

"In the European Union (EU), measures to improve transparency in high-tech companies came into effect in May 2018. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets out legal measures and fines as means to give users the opportunity to know how their data is used and to choose whether or not to consent to such use. The European Commission has invited a high-level group of experts (known as the HLEG) to advise on policy efforts to address fake news and online misinformation (defined as false, incorrect, or misleading information that harms the public). (omitted) Technology can be designed with short-term and long-term impacts on values such as fairness, justice, and diversity in mind (if the designers truly value these values). Instead of the 'act fast and destroy' slogan once advocated by Mark Zuckerberg, we should embrace the belief of 'act slowly and don't destroy'." (Quoted from book [7-1], page 160).

　Let's shift our perspective here and focus on Silicon Valley, the hub that has produced numerous global corporations that can be considered symbols of capitalism. Within this industrial cluster, various people involved in the IT industry helped each other. While there was close cooperation within the region, this structure, which aimed to dominate and exclude others globally, ultimately harbors deep-seated problems stemming from the pursuit of profit (the American-style liberalism discussed in Episode 2), where only the winners matter. The point is, how we perceive it changes depending on which aspect we focus on. For example, Silicon Valley has many wealthy people (who have succeeded in business, etc.), and income inequality may not be such a big problem within that region. The dangers of simply valuing close solidarity will be discussed again in Episode 11. On the other hand, while many IT companies are included in current global capitalist corporations, let's firmly recognize that the problem lies not with companies involved in IT technology, but with the greedy growth-seeking mechanisms based on neoliberalism. The ring highway surrounding the suburbs of Boston on the East Coast of the United States Comparing the high-tech industrial cluster along Route 128 to that of Silicon Valley on the West Coast reveals the following essential differences:

"The conclusion of this book is that unless technology companies, inter-company relationships, and the surrounding financial, educational, and public sector institutions all open up their boundaries, this region cannot compete on equal footing with Silicon Valley. (omitted) In the 1980s, several computer companies were founded in the Route 128 region. But by the early 1990s, industry giants—Cisco, 3Com, Bay Networks—were based in Silicon Valley. (omitted) Just as with semiconductors in the 1960s and microprocessor-based computers in the 1980s, the center of gravity of this dynamic new field in the computer network sector is clearly shifted westward." (Quoted from book [7-2] pages 4-6).

In particular, the difference in their open and informal organizational culture is pointed out as decisive: In other words, within the Silicon Valley region, cooperation is based more on collaboration than mere competition. It is believed that the exchange of personnel promoted technological development, spread innovative ideas, and enhanced the competitive advantage of the companies. This exchange of personnel, transcending the boundaries of individual companies within the professional community, was key to the strong connections. Hereafter, 'the region' refers to the industrial cluster along Route 128.

"In that region along Route 128, there is a lack of opportunities for collective discussion. In Silicon Valley, countless forums bring together people from all walks of life—from corporations and industries to government, private sector, finance, education, and training organizations. These gatherings, both formal and informal, provide people—even if they are obvious competitors—with opportunities to discuss common issues. They debate solutions and define a shared identity that allows the industry community to transcend the interests of individual companies. Only such industry communities can create and recreate regional advantages in today's competitive global economy. (omitted) In short, the economic fate of Silicon Valley and Route 128 is still defined and determined by important organizational and cultural differences." (Quoted from book [7-2] pages 8-9).

"Silicon Valley lacked a historical industrial background and was far removed from existing economic and political organizations, making it easier to experiment with novel and productive relationships. Frederick Terman, who attempted to transplant the technology community model from Massachusetts to California, fostered a more open and reciprocal relationship between Stanford University and local industries than that of the Route 128 region." (Quoted from book [7-2], page 58).

In forming such an organizational culture, geographical and technological proximity, as well as shared interests, are extremely important. As we will discuss in Episode 11, "loose connections" are crucial as a form of communication.

"Drawn by the challenges of geographical and technological frontiers, pioneers created a technology culture that transcended companies and job functions. They developed less formal social relationships and a tradition of collaborative work that supported experimentation. The companies they created were organized as loosely connected alliances of engineering teams. Unbeknownst to them, Silicon Valley engineers and entrepreneurs were creating a more flexible industrial system, one organized not around individual companies, but around the entire region and its professional and technological networks." (Quoted from book [7-2], page 62).

"Geographical proximity fosters iterative interaction and mutual trust to maintain collaboration, accelerating the continuous combination of technologies and skills. (omitted) Even if an industrial system is geographically concentrated, its adaptability may be limited; this is overwhelmingly a result of organizational structure, not dependent on technology or company size. The industrial system of Route 128 produced countless new companies and technologies, but the speed at which its producers adapted and commercialized them was insufficient to support the regional economy." (Quoted from book [7-2] pages 279-280).

In Episode 8, we will explore the possibility of countering neoliberal capitalist enterprises from a different perspective than cooperatives such as joint investment and one person, one vote—from the viewpoint of organizational culture and type.

Series: Learning about cutting-edge science and human history to prevent social division