The Internet as Infrastructure

2013/03/12 by Christian Sandvig · 1 voice · 1 citation
Computer Science · Social Sciences · #ICT in Developing Communities #Information Systems Theories and Implementation #Water Governance and Infrastructure

paper · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199589074.013.0005

openalex publication_date 2013/03/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/07

Abstract

This chapter discusses how useful it can be to view the Internet as an infrastructure, demonstrating how technical changes of the infrastructure can have unanticipated and unintended societal consequences. The Libyan decision induced substantial dismay in the Internet industry. The case of Violet Blue entails technical decisions about the design of interactive software, usability, culture, religion, history, politics, and economics. Moreover, the infrastructure studies of the Internet are outlined as the relationists and the new materialists. The Internet turns out as an infrastructural primitive or template for its parents: a model privately organized system of distributed computation – the<italic>ur</italic>-infrastructure. Communication in its original meaning was transportation, a box of goods was said to be ‘communicated’ when it was delivered. It is observed that the Internet demands attention as a foundation for modern life.

Citations

• Power, Technology and the Phenomenology of Conventions: On being Allergic to Onions
• Introduction: Monsters, Machines and Sociotechnical Relations

Cited by

• Infrastructure studies meet platform studies in the age of Google and Facebook

Discussions

• This is what infrastructural entanglements can lead to 👇 Christian Sandvig's great piece, "The Internet as Infrastructure," starts w/ the story of Libya blocking the URL shortening services using ". [bsky, 0 points, 0 comments]

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