Paper short abstract:

This presentation draws on Galis’ and Lee’s ‘vocabulary of treason’ and presents the results of an analysis of computerization as present in documents from the Swedish labour movement. In practice, this provides a tentative genealogy of the emerging Swedish digital citizen.

Paper long abstract:

Early on, the unions, and their respective study associations, became important actors in passing on knowledge about computers. The 1975 Social Democratic Party congress made a decision to work with the Swedish blue-collar union in order to draw up an action program for computer education. The congress did express a fear in that stakeholders who control capital as well as means of production will safeguard technology to primarily cater to their interests. That is, under the current conservative regime there was a risk that the computer would be used for oppressive purposes (or even become an oppressive "computer force" in itself). As such, the labour movement was described as an important force to counter this fear and to, instead, "democratically" control the use of computers as tools in the service of the people. Through common struggle and education, citizens would become a driving force in the practical design of this potentially liberating technology.

Research has often emphasized the stabilizing of a network and thus obscuring any de-stabilizing processes. As such, a modified ANT vocabulary, for example by introducing antonyms (a "vocabulary of treason") can make room not only for processes of mobilizing alliances and constructing networks, but for more deconstructive aspects as well (Galis & Lee, 2014). Thus, such vocabulary of treason could include processes of dissidence and controversy. This presentation draws on Galis' and Lee's 'vocabulary of treason' and presents the results of an analysis of computerization as present in documents from the Swedish labour movement.