Proof-of-transaction: the materiality of cryptocurrency

Tim Brouwer

Research output: Web publication or non-textual formWeb publication or websiteAcademic

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Abstract

In On the Mode of Existence of Technical Objects (1958), French philosopher Gilbert Simondon noticed that humans were losing their reciprocal connection with technology. We push buttons without understanding what’s happening ‘inside’ the machine – whether it’s a light switch or a smartphone. ‘For Simondon, restoring this mutual relationship would be a means for developing a technological culture’, says computer scientist and philosopher Yuk Hui. Revealing the different structures of a technology, which are ‘inside’ the machine, can reduce technical alienation. ‘An individual technical object can’t exist without a wider associated milieu’, states Hui. Thus, we need to look at its mechanisms, infrastructures and physical manifestations.
Original languageEnglish
Place of PublicationAmsterdam
PublisherInstitute of Network Cultures
Media of outputOnline
Publication statusPublished - 25 Aug 2018

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