“Another World Is Possible” The Emerging Alternative Information Societies

1st Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Hubertus von Amelunxen (ISNM)

2nd Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Richard Scotti

3rd Supervisor: Dr. Imke Lode (ISNM)

A shift in social activism from the concept of ""anti"" to ""alternative"" movements has manifested in organized events that parallel official international political assemblies. These parallel events, combining panel discussions, organized direct actions, workshops and media labs, create a unique instance of a diverse social network structure, unified by alternative conceptions of globalization and the Information Society. These events provide a unique opportunity for the intersection of a wide spectrum of activism agendas, and for the sharing of the technological infrastructures that support them. The technologies promoted and employed in the context of these events are identified here as the artifacts of the Alternative Information Societies. Primarily Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), they highlight concepts of social trust, equitable sharing of resources, knowledge, democratic participation, fair representation, and cooperation as cornerstones of the movement. These technologies elegantly articulate the theoretical and conceptual foundations that define these diverse congregations, a movement of movements unified not by their individual goals and belief systems, but rather by fundamental commonalities in the theoretical framework of their interests. This thesis aims to formulate a primary working definition of the Alternative Information Societies, as well as to identify some technical attributes of the technologies that combine to illustrate the unified ideals of this diverse movement.