The Institute of Network Cultures has launched MoneyLab, a new site that “considers digital experiments with revenue models, payment systems and currencies among the backdrop of ongoing global economic decline”. It will host a blog and news about forthcoming events and includes a mailing list for interested researchers. Some more info from the site:
While the economic downturn endures and budget cuts prevail, we have witnessed the emergence and rise of alternative payment systems and revenue models in digital media. Online bartering sites, a plethora of crowdfunding platforms, new forms of valuation, e-wallets and crypto-currencies like Bitcoin, are but a few examples. These coincide with the huge growth of mobile money transfer services across Asia and Africa and the general convergence of digital and financial industries.
MoneyLab: Coining Alternatives aims to critically explore, map and probe the politics, inner-workings and governance of these alternative digital-economic forms. It is not enough to merely promote and further develop (technical) alternatives, we also need time to ask ourselves critical questions and re-examine the very underpinnings of our endeavors.
Of central importance to this project is the formation of a collaborative network of researchers, artists, developers, engineers, and others interested in sharing, coining, critiquing, and ushering in alternative network economies. Did you read or write an interesting article on this matter, or maybe you also want to host a conference, hackathon or other types of conspiratorial gatherings? – let us know, and join our mailinglist.
