Embedded Files
I remember being a kid with iPod shuffles, not getting a phone until middle school, researching at the library instead of googling at home, and large desktop computers filling a room at school - you know, with the monitor and large box that kids would switch off while you were working on an assignment thinking they were so funny when really it meant that it was easier to just use a pen and paper. While I remember this, they are nostalgic parts of my past, memories of technology that I feel fine leaving behind. However, I now find myself taking the technology and internet access I have for granted. Reading the article “Dividing Lines: Mapping platforms like Google Earth have the legacies of colonialism programmed into them” by Mayukh Sen has completely altered my outlook on some platforms, and the privilege that I have.
I, like many others, endeavour to be aware of the lasting impacts of colonialism and do what I can to educate myself, but I think I let my privilege blind me to some problems that exist with some platforms. I’m a white female who has always lived in Ontario, whose parents are middle-class people from the United Kingdom. I have never personally encountered any of the issues that Mayuk Sen writes about. However, simply because I haven’t experienced it, it does not mean I shouldn’t know about it or recognize ways in which technology (a seemingly vital part of my life) has inequalities. This article opened my eyes, and I wanted to share my thoughts with you about colonialism in modern-day technology.
Pop. Culture Drawing Attention to the Topic
Did you ever read the book A Long Way Home, or maybe watch Lion? These tell the story of Saroo Brierley and his search for home after 25 years. His story made the news, got made into a movie, and made people believe in the positive and helpful technology of Google Earth. At least, that's what it wants you to think. Sen points out the portrayal of Google Earth being the "saving grace" for Brierley's search is extremely problematic and ignores many truths. Sen faults the film for its depiction of Brierley's process as "a one-way transaction between an error-prone, sleepless human and an intelligent device, rather than as a human's struggle to overcome a potentially useful technology's limitations and biases." In a way, the publicity this story gained allowed more people to understand how colonialism continually affects society.
What Impact Does Colonialism Have on Google Earth and Does it Affect More Technology?
Now, I know what you are thinking - What limitations and biases are there with Google Earth? How do the issues relate back to colonialism? Does it spread to other technologies? Well, let me tell you a bit of what I’ve learnt.
With Sen's searching on Google Earth, there were massive differences in results based on what geographical location they were searching in. Initially, Sen searched for places in New Jersey and was granted crystal clear pictures and an easy ability to find exact locations. However, when searching for their mother's village, there was only bad resolution images and problems finding precise locations due to the multiple options that arise when searching for "Balarampur." With this, Sen points out that for those whose "corners of the world are considered "remote" or "uncharted" from an essentialist white, Western perspective, the interface is far from seamless." The global inequities and divisions that were created by colonial-era decisions are reflected in these digital maps mapping them a way in which "dominance of the West with respect to the global South are reproduced all over again, as if to imply that some people's homes are more important than others." Instead of looking at a platform like Google Earth and instantly trusting them, we have to be mindful of the ways socioeconomics, race, and stereotypes impact them, either through an individual's ability and accessibility or how they guide corporate strategies.
The impact of colonialism on Google Earth, intentional or not, is not the only example of colonialism impacting technology. “Technology Colonialism,” an article by Anjuan Simmons, does an amazing job of explaining how technology companies today colonial in their actions are. In this article, Simmons notes that “the veneer of sovereignty they seek to cultivate, how they work across borders, their use of dominant culture as a weapon, and the clear belief that “superior” technology is a suitable excuse for lawlessness, exploitation and even violence” makes technology companies a newfound type of “colonial power.” I highly suggest taking the time to read this article. I do want to note that linking these technology companies to colonialism is not meant to disregard or undermine the abuse, degradation, and damage many people faced – and continue to face-, but to highlight similarities in their actions and recognize that a colonial mentality is still present in our society, it is just acted upon differently.
My Final Thoughts?
I believe that everyone needs to be aware of the inequities or problems with either internet platforms or types of technology. While I only briefly covered some impacts of colonialism, there are still race, class, socio-economic and gender impacts that need to be acknowledged. Everyone's ability to use or interact with the internet and technology are not the same, and this can only be recognized by educating yourself.
Thank you for reading the start of my journey of mindfulness in our digital age, and I hope you'll start your journey too.
Thanks for reading,
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