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What is Technology Privilege?

Depending on who you ask, there will always be different definitions of technology privilege. We define technology privilege as following:

tech·​no·lo-gy-priv·​i·​lege / tek-ˈnä-priv-lij /
 Any unearned social power derived from the acces to technology

The disparaties that result from this are influenced by society’s beliefs and assumptions about the role and impact of society – and most of all, how we imagine the future of technology on our planet.

Technology Privilege is based on existing forms of privilege such as economic privilege and white privilege, and miay even reinforce them. On the other hand, Technology Privilege has its own unique dynamic: it affects all layers of society and impacts the world beyond the human scope.

Can you give me an example?

Sure: smartphones. These are devices that give their respective owners various degrees of Technology Privilege. First of all, some of the materials needed to make these devices come from conflict areas. Why is there conflict? Because of the rare earth minerals extracted in those areas. Exactly the type of minerals needed to produce electronic devices, such as… you guessed it: smartphones. These conflicts rarely impact the consumers that buy the smartphones. This is the one degree of Technology Privilege.

Also: smartphones are expensive. You need a certain amount of economic privilege to purchase one. More than being ‘just a tool’, this makes smartphones a symbol of wealth and perceived social status. But you also need to have some knowledge and skills to operate them. This might sound obvious, but it is not always evident. This is why some people, such as elderly may not benefit from smartphones as much as other members of society.

More and more, smartphones become social passports that unlock access to services such as transportation and cashless payments. The latter benefits those with access to financial infrastructures, such as bank accounts. But they marginalize and increase the vulnerability of those who don’t have that access. Think of undocumented immigrants, people who experience homelessness, or those who work in informal economies accross the globe.

Some people may be more suspectible to the addictive power these devices hold. Privacy issues might not be of concern for those who think they ‘have nothing to hide’. But what if you do have something to hide? Such as personal information, or your location?

At the end of their lives, when smartphones are discarded (oftentimes before they break) they are thrown away or at best ‘recycled’ where they become part of the millions of tonnes of e-waste that are produced everyday.

Some might feel that smartphones and other digital technologies are sucking them from the life world into the system world: The Matrix, named after the 1999 Science Fiction movie in which humans merely exist as batteries to power a gigantic technological superstructure. Despite all this, there are more people in the world that own a smartphone than that there are people who own a toothbrush.

What is the Checklist of Technology Privilege?

The Checklist of Technology Privilege is a tool created to help anyone reflect on the technology privileges they may hold. The aim is to raise awareness on the impact of technology on our own lives as well as on other humans, non-humans and the planet as a whole. The checklist consist of a list of statements about technology that you may or may not identify with. The inspiration comes from the White Privilege Checklist created by social researcher Peggy McIntosh in 1989.

How do I use the Checklist of Technology Privilege?

To use the checklist, check the boxes of all the statements that you can identify with. Count them and assess for yourself (or with somebody else, a friend or colleague) what this result means to you. Do you feel you hold little Technology Privilege? In that case you might want to undertake action to empower yourself. If you the result makes you think you have a lot of Technology Privilege you may want to use that to empower others. The Checklist of Technology Privilege can be used individually or in groups. You can use it as a conversation starter, as part of an educational program, workshop or session with your team.

How was the Checklist of Technology Privilege created?

The idea for a Checklist of Technology Privilege was born in 2019, and a very first draft was created by artist Hendrik-Jan Grievink. The idea stuck but only got accellerated through the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Hendrik-Jan started keeping a personal list of observations. This list was expanded on over the course of various workshops and in conversation with many contributers from different backgrounds. The makers acknowledge their position and the limitations of their perspective; it is unavoidable that some degree of bias from the makers has shaped both content and form of the checklist. In order make the checklist as complete as possible as possible, we used the following models as a reference:

How are the results generated?

The answers are ranked in a subjective scale that indicates a certain level of privilege. However, we feel it is important to state that tere is no global standard against which Technology Privilege can be measured, nor do we deem it desirable that such a standard should exist. Any results retrieved from either the paper Checklist of Technology Privilege or the conversation with chatbot Tekki on this website are meant to stimulate conversation and inspire action towards more equitable technology.

How can I contribute to this project?

The Checklist of Technology Privilege is a document in flux. This means that it will be updated over time and that multiple versions of the checklist will exist at some point. In fact, we would even encourage people and organizations to make their own version. We would love to hear from you should you decide to do so!

Who are the people behind Check Your Technoprivilege?

This project is an initiative from artist and researcher Hendrik-Jan Grievink. The Checklist of Technology Privilege as well as this website are created in collaboration with, and with financial support from Next Nature.

CREATIVE TEAM NEXT NATURE

SUPPORTING TEAM NEXT NATURE

ADVISORS

THANK YOU

The following people have played a crucial role as sparring partners: Willemine Willems, Anna Aris, Frank Kupper and Quint Verschuren from Athena Institute (Amsterdam, NL), Assistant Professor Fran Meissner, Fenna Hoefsloot and Mila Van Druten from Twente University (Enschede, NL), Professor Geert Lovink from Institute of Network Cultures (Amsterdam, NL), Minke Vos from ArtEZ Press (Arnhem, NL), Ivan Waiki Poma and Luz Sumaq Nina Poma from Tampu Project (New York City, USA), Rudi Góngora Meza from Evolution Trek (Cuzco, PER), Professor Qin Jian from the Institute of Technology and Innovation, Xiamen University (Xiamen, CHN), Coralie Vogelaar

ABOUT NEXT NATURE

Next Nature is a future lab based in Eindhoven and Amsterdam (NL). The goal of Next Nature is to contribute to a vision of the future that is not only satisfactory for humans but for planet Earth as a whole, including all life on it.

www.nextnature.net