Byung-Chul Han’s work “Hyperculture” is an eye opening piece of literature published in 2005. The book contains a series of short articles discussing ideas of globalisation, the internet and our existence as humans in a post modern and hyperconnected reality. The text, written at a time when the ideas of globalisation were popular and just before the 2008 financial crisis was to arrive, weaves a dream of society as an unbound and unrestricted space through which people navigate as a connected tribe. Some ideas that held great promise, such as, an open and free international marketplace, global citizens and a decentralised internet, have lost takers over the years. We have seen a very different reality emerge since the publishing of this book. The rise of nationalism, regional protectionism and fall of the World trade organisation by the same nations that once championed it, has lead to a very different economic reality. On the Internet as well, intimate and independently created spaces have shrunk in favour of large social media sites that have created cookie cutter profiles of individuals. But I do not believe these to be evidence of the failure of the global experiment.
Many aspects discussed, such as that of the global wanderer or hyper culture tourist, as discussed in the chapter ‘the eros of interconnectedness’ still hold true today. Han discusses how we live in an age where we are disconnected from the regional. The internet allows us to be global travellers and by interacting with other people’s lives, we become tourists looking at them. I would argue that this still largely hold true, it’s just different than what had been imagined. We are no longer truly venturing into the spaces and lives of other people from around the world, but are observing it through the lens of social media and its algorithms and layouts. In the later chapter “Hyperlogue”, there is an understanding of how this may come to pass. I wonder if Han knew how close to the truth he was stepping. The loss of the free internet in favour of a consumer driven model is recognised through the changing of language associated with it. Han points to the use of terminology and its changing nature over time. In the early days of the internet, we used the term ‘surfing the internet’ creating an image of nautical exploration and free movement. The more popular term now is ‘browsing the internet’, evoking images of a consumer act. He points throughout the book towards Microsoft, and its role in creating this language. Think ‘internet explorer’ and ‘windows’. Today however, most people do not have a digital footprint outside of social media.
The way we are interacting with AI today is also uncharted and exploratory. Outside of the boxed AI such as Chat GPT and Midjourney, there is a desire for more open source models. Humans, I believe will instinctually seek out the kind of freedom promised by hyperculturism and that is reflected in the novel users of AI technology. If my reading of this text tells me anything, it is that predictions and outcome are often very different. If history is a testament, the technology moving forward will be surrounded by those who desire to restrict or regionalise it.