Geert Lovink

Geert Lovink
Geert Lovink in 2010
Born	1959 (age 65–66)
Nationality	Dutch
Alma mater	University of Amsterdam, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland
Occupation	Media Theorist
Employer	Hogeschool van Amsterdam
Website	networkcultures.org networkcultures.org/geert laudanum.net/geert/

Geert Lovink (born 1959) is a Dutch media theorist, internet critic, and activist. He established the Institute of Network Cultures (INC), ^[1] a group involved in activities related to new media and digital culture. ^[2]

Since 2004, Lovinks has been a researcher with the Faculty of Digital Media and Creative Industries at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (HvA), where he leads the Institute of Network Cultures. From 2004 to 2013, he was an associate professor of new media at the University of Amsterdam. ^[3] From 2007 to 2017, he taught media theory at the European Graduate School, where he supervised five PhD students. ^[4] In December 2021, Lovink was appointed Professor of Art and Network Cultures in the Art History Department at the University of Amsterdam.

Lovink earned his master's degree in political science at the University of Amsterdam, holds a Ph.D from the University of Melbourne, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Queensland. ^[5]

Activities

Since the early 1980s, Lovink has participated in a range of projects and initiatives related to media, art, and technology.

• In 2000, he organized the Tulipomania Dotcom conference on internet culture. ^[6]
• In 2002, he co-organized Dark Markets, ^[7] a conference in Vienna exploring media and democracy during times of crisis.
• In 2003, he co-organized Uncertain States of Reportage ^[8] in Delhi.
• In 2004, together with Trebor Scholz, he co-organized Free Cooperation, a conference on online collaboration held at SUNY Buffalo ^[9] .
• On 31 May 2010, Lovink took part in Quit Facebook Day and deleted his Facebook account. ^[10]

In 2020, two archival collections of Lovink's work were preserved and made available via the Institute of Network Cultures (INC) website: The Adilkno/Bilwet archive, once hosted by desk.nl Archived 2019-04-24 at the Wayback Machine (1990-1999): https://networkcultures.org/bilwet-archive/ and the text archive of geertlovink.org (2000-2010): https://networkcultures.org/geertlovink-archive/.

Theories

Lovink is a contributing theorist of tactical media, which refers to the use of media technologies as a tool for critical theory to become artistic practice ^[11] . He described tactical media as "a deliberately slippery term, a tool for creating 'temporary consensus zones' based on unexpected alliances. A temporary alliance of hackers, artists, critics, journalists and activists." ^[12]

Selected works

The cover of the book "Critical Point of View: A Wikipedia Reader" published in 2011 by the Institute of Network Cultures and edited by Geert Lovink.

• Lovink, Geert. Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture (1994-2001) , PhD thesis, English Department, The University of Melbourne, 2002.
• Lovink, Geert. Dark Fiber: Tracking Critical Internet Culture, Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press, 2002. ISBN   0-262-12249-9
• Lovink, Geert. Uncanny Networks, Cambridge Mass.: MIT Press, 2002.
• Lovink, Geert. My First Recession, Rotterdam: NAi/V2_Publishing, 2003.
• Lovink, Geert. The Principle of Notworking, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2005.
• Lovink, Geert. "New Media, Art and Science: Explorations Beyond the Official Discourse", in Scott McQuire and Nikos Papastergiadis (eds), Empires, Ruins + Networks: The Transcultural Agenda in Art, Melbourne: University of Melbourne Press, 2005.
• Lovink, Geert. Tactical Media, the Second Decade, Brazilian Submidialogia, 2005.
• Lovink, Geert and Rossiter, Ned. "Dawn of the organized networks", Fibreculture Journal 5 2005.
• Lovink, Geert. Zero Comments: Blogging and Critical Internet Culture, London and New York: Routledge, 2007.
• Lovink, Geert. Networks Without a Cause: A Critique of Social Media, Cambridge and Malden: Polity, 2012. ISBN   9780745649689.
• Lovink, Geert and Rasch, Miriam (eds), Unlike Us Reader: Social Media Monopolies and Their Alternatives, Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2013. ISBN   978-90-818575-2-9, paperback, 384 pages.
• Lovink, Geert. Social Media Abyss, Critical Internet Cultures and the Force of Negation, Cambridge and Malden: Polity, 2016. ISBN   978150950776-4.
• Lovink, Geert, Tkacz, Nathaniel, and de Vries, Patricia (eds), MoneyLab Reader: An Intervention in Digital Economy, Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2015. ISBN   978-90-822345-5-8.
• Gloerich, Inte, Lovink, Geert, de Vries, Patricia, MoneyLab Reader 2, Overcoming the Hype, Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures, 2017.
• Lovink, Geert, Rossiter, Ned, Organization after Social Media, Brooklyn: Minor Compositions, http://www.minorcompositions.info/?p=857.
• Lovink, Geert, Sad by Design, Eurozone, January 2019, https://www.eurozine.com/sad-by-design/.
• Lovink, Geert, Sad by Design, On Platform Nihilism, London: Pluto Press, 2019.
• Gerritzen, Mieke, Lovink, Geert, Made in China, Designed in California, Criticized in Europe, Amsterdam: The Image Society, 2019, https://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/amsterdam-design-manifesto/.
• Lovink, Geert, Stuck on the Platform, Reclaiming the Internet, Amsterdam: Valiz, 2022.
• Lovink, Geert, Extinction Internet, UvA inaugural speech, November 2022, https://networkcultures.org/blog/publication/extinction-internet/.

References

1. "Institute of Network Cultures". networkcultures.org.
2. "Institute of Network Cultures - The Institute of Network Cultures presents: MoneyLab: Coining Alternatives". networkcultures.org. Archived from the original on 2010-05-13. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
3. Geert Lovink Archived 2010-06-22 at the Wayback Machine Faculty Profile at European Graduate School. Biography, bibliography, photos and video lectures.
4. "Geert Lovink, Founding Director of the Institute of Network Cultures, Internationally Renowned Media Theorist and Internet Critic, to Speak at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | News". news.rpi.edu. Retrieved 2025-08-21.
5. "Geert lovink : Biography". Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
6. "MoneyLab | Reader of Tulipomania Dotcom (2000) Again Available". networkcultures.org. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
7. "DARK MARKETS - INFOPOLITICS, ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND DEMOCRACY IN TIMES OF CRISIS". t0.or.at.
8. "SARAI : Events:: Crisis Media". Archived from the original on 2007-02-05. Retrieved 2008-10-14.
9. "Free Cooperation Conference". Rhizome. 2004-04-23. Retrieved 2025-08-11.
10. Join the Facebook Exodus on May 31!, blogpost, 27 May 2010.
11. Nayar, Pramod K. (2010-01-11). An Introduction to New Media and Cybercultures. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-1-4051-8167-9.
12. Meikle, Grahama (2004) "Networks of Influence: Internet Activism in Australia and Beyond" in Gerard Goggin (ed.) Virtual Nation: the Internet in Australia, University of New South Wales Press, Sydney pp 73-87