!" $%& '()* +,- ./(,(0&* (1 ,2* 3/4 %5 41 !

55(/64,(7* 8("9%&/"*

Mercedes 8unz

l llke. ?ou llke. Pe llkes. She llkes. We llke, and we llke a loL. 1hree bllllon Lwo
hundred mllllon of mosLly llkes buL also commenLs have been generaLed by users
dally ln Lhe flrsL quarLer of 2012 accordlng Lo lacebook.
1
1he counLerparL of an 'l
dlsllke' or PaLe buLLon ls nelLher exlsLlng nor ls lL planned. An efflclenL Lrlck:
lacebook barely needs Lo dlsclpllne lLs users, lnsLead lL raLher deslgns Lhelr acLlons,
and Lhese are poslLlve. lL ls noL LhaL Lhere can'L be dlsagreemenL on lacebook. lL ls
only LhaL lLs uLLerance ls made more elaboraLe as lL needs Lo be declared ln Lhe
commenLs. 1hus, lL culLlvaLes Lhe approach of agreemenL lnsLead of crlLlque wlLh a
deslgn LhaL vlsually prefers afflrmaLlon. AL flrsL slghL, Lhls approach of lacebook can
be explalned by Lhe facL LhaL frlends generally have poslLlve Lhlngs Lo say Lo each
oLher. 1hey have some Lhlngs ln common, respecL each oLher, and share some
lnLeresLs. lacebook, however, lsn'L slmply a neLwork of frlends, buL of several
mllllons of frlends. 1hls ls preclsely why Lhe afflrmaLlon culLlvaLed on lacebook has a
soclal dlmenslon - lL ls much more Lhan [usL a prlvaLe maLLer among frlends. When
lLs baslc deslgn avolds Lhe dlalecLlc order of Lhe modern dlscourse, for or agalnsL, Lo
replace lL wlLh Lhe afflrmaLlve proposlLlon 'l llke', lL unfolds a dlscurslve sLyle LhaL ls
abouL Lo become more and more domlnanL ln our socleLles: Lhe rlse of an afflrmaLlve
dlscourse. Can crlLlque be saved?

!&"92:(,;< + '()*=

A couple of days afLer Lhe unllke us conference ln AmsLerdam ln 2012, Lhe
llquldaLlon of Lhe !ewlsh gheLLo ln Cracow had lLs gloomy annlversary. ln order Lo
commemoraLe Lhe evenL LhaL had sLarLed on March 13
Lh
, Lhe followlng posL could be
read on Lhe page of Lhe AuschwlLz Memorlal Museum on lacebook:

Cn 13-14 March 1943 Cerman llquldaLed Lhe gheLLo ln Cracow. 1he acLlon
was supervlsed by SS-SLurmbannfuhrer Wllll Paase. Around 6,000 !ews who
were able Lo work were Lransferred Lo Lhe laszow concenLraLlon camp.
Around 1,000 people were murdered ln Lhe sLreeLs of Lhe gheLLo. Cn 13
March a LransporL of around 2,000 !ews was senL Lo AuschwlLz. AfLer Lhe
selecLlon 484 men and 24 women were reglsLered ln Lhe camp. 1he
remalnlng group, around 1,492 people, were murdered ln gas chamber ll.
2


SevenLy-seven people have cllcked Lhe lacebook buLLon Lo llke Lhls as of CcLober
2012. Cf course, Lhese people are no nazls. As Lhere ls no alLernaLlve buLLon, one
lndlcaLes LhaL we wlll noL forgeL an lncomprehenslble genoclde by llklng Lhe horrlble
deLalls LhaL lL geLs broken down lnLo on Lhls slLe.

1
1lna kulow, lacebook CorporaLe CommunlcaLlons Manager, emall message Lo auLhor, 20 !uly 2012.
2
AuschwlLz Memorlal / Muzeum AuschwlLz, 'Cn 13-14 March 1943 Cerman [.]', lacebook updaLe, 13
March 2012, 13:23, hLLp://www.facebook.com/auschwlLzmemorlal/posLs/10130392000141097.

lacebook's sLrucLure allows one Lo publlsh several posLlngs a week and noL [usL one
arLlcle, leavlng room for lndlvldual sLorles and Lhe smaller, buL no less cruclal, day-Lo-
day evenLs we barely ever hear. ln 2009 Lhe AuschwlLz Memorlal Museum declded
Lo use lacebook ln Lhls exemplary way ln order Lo keep remembrances allve Lhrough
Lhe new communlcaLlon plaLforms of our socleLy.
3
ln addlLlon Lo Lhls lL has also done
someLhlng else: when Lhe hlsLorlc horror of Lhe PolocausL lnLegraLes lLself only
dlsrupLlvely lnLo Lhe afflrmaLlve defaulL of lacebook, lL reveals LhaL Lhere ls
someLhlng new governlng soclal dlscourse. 1he page of Lhe AuschwlLz Memorlal
Museum on lacebook ls a good example Lo skeLch ouL how our soclal dlscourses are
now sub[ecL Lo lacebook's afflrmaLlon - lf you wanL Lo be parL of Lhe new dlglLal
publlc, you need Lo be on lacebook. And Lo make Lhe maLLer worse, Lhe governance
of afflrmaLlon ls a case noL only by, buL far beyond lacebook: Lhls soclal neLwork ls
only Lhe plaLform where Lhe new domlnaLlon of Lhls dlscourse becomes perfecLly
apparenL.

LeL's pause for a momenL wlLh soclologlsL 8runo LaLour Lo undersLand Lhls
paradoxlcal poslLlon ln whlch we flnd lacebook. 'Lven Lhe slmplesL Lechnlques are
socloLechnlcal', he wrlLes.
4
Pere we flnd an lnLeresLlng amblvalence aL play: are
Lechnologles an effecL of Lhe soclal or ls Lhe soclal an effecL of a Lechnology? As our
complex reallLles Leach us, boLh seems Lo be Lhe case: lacebook's deslgn clearly
lmposes Lhe dlscourse of afflrmaLlon upon us, buL when we look around (whlch we
wlll do ln a momenL) we can also sense lL ln socleLy, so lLs appearance ln lacebook
mlghL well be noLhlng buL a soclal Lrend a smarL developer llke Mark Zuckerberg
declded Lo Lake up. WlLh lacebook maklng afflrmaLlon apparenL, leL us now Lurn our
aLLenLlon Lo Lhe pollLlcal reallLy we llve ln, ln order Lo see lf we can sense lL belng
used as a Lool ln Loday's soclal dlscourse of power.

ln pollLlcs, Lhe degeneraLlon of Lhe dlalecLlcal order has been evldenL for some Llme
ln boLh domesLlc and forelgn affalrs. Concernlng lnLernal pollLlcs, Lhe old caLegorles
of 'rlghL-wlng' and 'lefL-wlng' parLles, esLabllshed for Lhe seaLlng arrangemenL of Lhe
lrench naLlonal Assembly of 1789, have been quesLloned ln mosL lndusLrlal sLaLes.
Concernlng forelgn affalrs, Lhe dlvlslon of an easL and a wesL bloc collapsed wlLh Lhe
fall of Lhe 8erlln wall. So where Lo now LhaL Lhe dlalecLlcal order has fallen aparL? lL
musL be sald, LhaL Lhe ldea of a 'Lhlrd way'
3
dldn'L Lake us very far. 1oday, lL slowly
becomes apparenL LhaL a cerLaln Lype of afflrmaLlon has wldely replaced opposlLlon,
and Lhe 8rlLlsh governmenL's aLLlLude Lowards Lhe Luropean unlon ls a very good
example of Lhls.

Comparlng Lhe approach of rlme MlnlsLer MargareL 1haLcher and rlme MlnlsLer
uavld Cameron, one can noL very surprlslngly say LhaL Lhelr aLLlLude sLays Lhe same:

3
See Lhe lacebook proflle of Lhe AuschwlLz Memorlal Museum aL,
hLLp://www.facebook.com/auschwlLzmemorlal.
4
8runo LaLour, 'A CollecLlve Cf Pumans And nonhumans', ln 8runo LaLour, !"#$%&"'( *%+,- .(("/( %#
01, 2,"340/ %5 674,#7, 608$4,(, Cambrldge, MassachuseLLs: Parvard unlverslLy ress, 1999, p. 210.
3
AnLhony Clddens, 91, 914&$ :"/: 91, 2,#,;"3 %5 6%74"3 <,=%7&"7/, Cambrldge, uk: ollLy ress.
1998.
as lL beflLs a 8rlLlsh ConservaLlve boLh are raLher crlLlcal Lowards Lhe Lu. Powever,
Lhe dlrecL comparlson of Lwo ?ou1ube cllps of Lhelr speeches ln arllamenL
demonsLraLes LhaL Lhe represenLaLlon of Lhelr crlLlcal aLLlLude couldn'L dlffer more.
Whlle Lhe lron Lady deflanLly belLs ouL a 'no, no, no!' Lowards Lhe Lu, 21 years laLer
Cameron hldes hls opposlLlon ln a far off corner of afflrmaLlon: he wenL 'seeklng a
deal' and responded for a LreaLy change 'ln good falLh' 'genulnely looklng Lo reach an
agreemenL'.
6
lL ls obvlous LhaL Lhe dlscourse of power has changed and wlLh lL lLs
rheLorlc. Whlle 1haLcher's pollLlcal power ls clearly vlslble ln her negaLlon of Lhe Lu,
Cameron's power enacLs Lhe same buL operaLes subverslvely under Lhe cover of
afflrmaLlon: lL's noL hls faulL LhaL he veLoed a flscal pacL 23 oLher Lu sLaLes had
agreed Lo [oln, he wanLed an agreemenL.

8oLh Lhe AuschwlLz Memorlal Museum and Cameron's re-lnLerpreLed refusal
examples make lL apparenL LhaL noL only on lacebook, buL ln a very general sense,
Lhe order of our soclal dlscourse has embraced afflrmaLlon. And belng crlLlcal
Lowards Lhls, we flnd our nexL quesLlon: how does power operaLe ln Lhe governance
of afflrmaLlon?


'*, $%&/ >% ?* >% @ $%&/ $*" ?* >%A B%%C

1o explore Lhls quesLlon, leL us sLlck wlLh lacebook as an example, and analyze how
Lhe company deals wlLh reslsLance. Cn Lhe 19
Lh
of AugusL 2011, Lhe lndependenL
uaLa roLecLlon CenLer (unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz) of
Schleswlg-PolsLeln declded LhaL lLs reglon should become Lhe famous Calllc vlllage
opposlng Lhe 8oman lmperlum LhaL Loday ls named lacebook. ShorLly before, Lhe
soclal servlce had lnLroduced a feaLure LhaL would enable lL Lo reach far beyond lLs
plaLform. lL redeslgned lLs Craph Al and allowed webslLes Lo lmplemenL lLs 'l Llke'
buLLon wlLh Mark Zuckerberg announclng aL Lhe l8 conference ln San lranclsco on
Aprll 21, 2010: 'We are bulldlng a web where Lhe defaulL ls soclal'.
7
Parry Palpln's
lllumlnaLlng Lalk aL Lhe unllke us conference ln AmsLerdam
8
lllusLraLed how
Zuckerberg managed Lo do Lhls: lacebook had [olned Lhe World Wlde Web
ConsorLlum Lo deploy Lhelr open sLandards for bulldlng noL an open, buL a glanL
closed global graph.

1he uaLa roLecLlon CenLer ln Cermany declded Lhey wouldn'L accepL Lhls, havlng
Lhe followlng ob[ecLlons: Lhe reLrleved daLa from Lhe lacebook buLLon on an exLerlor

6
vldeos are avallable aL: 'MargareL 1haLcher no no no',
hLLp://www.youLube.com/waLch?v=1eLk_ayC1x4, '8rlLlsh rlme MlnlsLer uavld Cameron defends Lu
LreaLy veLo', hLLp://www.youLube.com/waLch?v=u-Lew1b33s.
7
uan lleLcher, 'lacebook Looks Lo CeL ersonal', 94=,> 22 Aprll 2010,
hLLp://www.Llme.com/Llme/buslness/arLlcle/0,8399,1983721,00.hLml.
8
Parry Palpln, '1he Pldden PlsLory of Lhe Llke" 8uLLon', unllke us: undersLandlng Soclal Medla and
Lhelr Monopolles Conference, AmsLerdam, 8-10 March 2012. uocumenLaLlon of Lhe Lalk can be found
aL: hLLp://neLworkculLures.org/wpmu/unllkeus/2012/03/10/harry-halpln-on-Lhe-hldden-hlsLory-of-
Lhe-llke-buLLon.
webslLe - lnformaLlon abouL who vlslLed whaL, when, and lf Lhey 'llked' lL - wouldn'L
remaln wlLh Lhe webslLes. ln order Lo analyze Lhls, Lhe lacebook servlce Lransfers
Lrafflc and conLenL daLa Lo Lhe uSA. WebslLes LhaL lmplemenL Lhe neaL Lhumbs up
lacebook saLelllLe don'L supply sufflclenL lnformaLlon abouL Lhls Lo users.
lurLhermore, lacebook doesn'L meeL Lhe legal requlremenLs relevanL for compllance
of legal noLlce, prlvacy consenL, and general Lerms of use.
9
As such, Lhe CenLer
declded Lo prohlblL Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe lacebook buLLon on webslLes
reglsLered wlLhln Lhe reglon of Schleswlg-PolsLeln. 8y Lhe end of SepLember 2011,
webslLe owners wlLhln Lhe reglon who sLlll made use of Lhe servlce would be
punlshed wlLh a flne of 30,000 Luro.
10


1hls sparked an lnLenslve dlalogue. lacebook's ulrecLor of ollcy for Lurope, 8lchard
Allan, slgnaled Lhe company's wllllngness Lo Lalk, and Schleswlg-PolsLeln's uaLa
roLecLlon CenLer descrlbed Lhelr exchange as of a 'frlendly aLmosphere'. Powever,
from Lhe perspecLlve of Lhe CenLer Lechnlcally noLhlng changed. Accordlng Lo Lhem
lacebook flrsLly offered Lo handle Lhelr web Lrafflc analysls, called lnslghLs, more
LransparenLly, buL Lhen never dellvered correspondlng Lechnlcal documenLs LhaL
could sufflclenLly supporL Lhls offer.
11
When asked abouL Lhls ln a second
conversaLlon, Lhe Cerman ulrecLor of ollcy ur. Cunnar 8ender convenlenLly could
noL ensure Lhem Lhls maLerlal elLher as lacebook operaLes ln Lurope as an lrlsh
company, and as such lsn'L wlLhln Lhe [urlsdlcLlon of lLs Cerman ulrecLor of ollcy.
12

1he Schleswlg uaLa roLecLlon CenLer learned lL needed Lo conLacL Lhe daLa
proLecLlon auLhorlLy ln uublln, a call LhaL lacebook Lhen would have Lo answer.

laylng hlde and seek ln a globallzed world ls how power ln Lhe era of afflrmaLlon
operaLes: dodge responslblllLy, [usL lndlcaLe good wlll - we are noL Lhe ones
responslble, lndeed we also don'L llke Lhls problem and agree wlLh you. 1hls
dlscurslve sLyle - duck and cover wlLh afflrmaLlon - has already found lLs Lalklng
head ln Lhe humble 8uperL Murdoch, a buslnessman who clalms noL Lo be
responslble for hls buslness, Lhe company news lnLernaLlonal. 1oday execuLlves [usL
slgn, buL don'L leave slgnaLures ln Lhelr company's culLure. lllegal phone hacklng, as
lL came Lo llghL ln Lhe scandal of !uly 2011, mlghL have been a pracLlce ln noL [usL
one, buL several of hls publlshlng houses. ?eL sLlll, he expllclLly sLaLed he would noL
accepL hls ulLlmaLe responslblllLy and lnsLead handed fallures down furLher and
furLher unLll Lhey were ouL of hls reach and resLed wlLh Lhe regular guy on hlgh

9
unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 'uLu an WebselLenbeLrelber: lacebook-
8elchwelLenanalyse abschalLen"', unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 19 AugusL 2011,
hLLps://www.daLenschuLzzenLrum.de/presse/20110819-facebook.hLm.
10
unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 'uLu an WebselLenbeLrelber'.
11
unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 'lacebook Sucks - Cb[ecLlon ls SLlll and Cnce Agaln
necessary', unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 16 May 2012,
hLLps://www.daLenschuLzzenLrum.de/presse/20120316-facebook-sucks.hLm.
12
unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 'lacebook lm Cesprach mlL dem uLu:
kelne verbesserungen belm uaLenschuLz', unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 24 !uly
2012, hLLps://www.daLenschuLzzenLrum.de/presse/20120724-facebook-sLlllsLand.hLm.
sLreeL: 'l hold responslble Lhe people who l LrusLed Lo run lL and Lhe people Lhey
LrusLed.'
13


Summlng Lhls up, lL ls clear LhaL Lhe frlendly reply of lacebook Lo Schleswlg-
PolsLeln's daLa securlLy cenLer, rlme MlnlsLer Cameron's 'good falLh', and 8uperL
Murdoch's 'humble' response, and surely numerous oLher examples, share a speclflc
gesLure. 1hese lndlcaLe good wlll, buL hold oLhers responslble. 1hls characLerlzes
power ln Lhe era of afflrmaLlon, and here lacebook, Lhe new lmperlum, ls [usL one
among many.

+//(,4,(%1 4" 4 B%%D %5 ./(,(0&*

When Schleswlg-PolsLeln's daLa prlvacy cenLer declded Lo lnLervene, lL looked
unpromlslng: a small lnsLlLuLe locaLed ln klel was faclng-off agalnsL an lnLernaLlonally
operaLlng corporaLlon employlng a brlgade of lawyers. ln addlLlon, Lhe cenLer
couldn'L reach for lacebook dlrecLly, buL needed Lo aLLack Lhe soclal plaLform vla Lhe
deLour of regulaLlng oLher webslLes ln Lhelr reglon who were uslng lacebook's
servlce. ln Lhls lnsLance, crlLlque seemed Lo drlp off of lacebook llke raln from a
ralncoaL: Lhe company was ouL of reach, and Lhe raln fell onLo oLhers. Lluslveness of
Lhls klnd ls sympLomaLlc of power ln Lhe era of afflrmaLlon. 1hls ls also Lhe case wlLh
8uperL Murdoch because whlle he sLayed ln buslness, 200 [ournallsLs were made
redundanL when closlng down hls hacklng flagshlp ?,;( @5 01, :%&3$. Pere,
negaLlve crlLlque lsn'L effecLlve anymore, for whaL ls negaLed has made a slde-sLep
ouL of reach, and lndlcaLlon of good wlll by Lhe offender ofLen even concurs wlLh Lhe
crlLlque. Pere, Lhe Pegellan power of negaLlon, LhaL once fueled reslsLance, flnds
lLself wlLhouL effecL. 1hls ls worrylng noL only for Lhe opponenLs of lacebook, buL for
our socleLy ln general. ln Lhls conLexL whaL becomes of crlLlque? Can lL be saved?

negaLlve crlLlque has been concepLually lmporLanL for pushlng our socleLles forward.
Pegel, for example, gave lL a cenLral role when he descrlbed LhaL an exlsLlng
condlLlon ls enhanced by lLs negaLlon, and boLh Lhe condlLlon and lLs negaLlon, are
synLheslzed and 'sublaLed' Lo a new level.
14
'1haL whlch enables Lhe noLlon Lo
advance lLself' he says, 'ls Lhe already menLloned negaLlve whlch lL possesses wlLhln
lLself, lL ls Lhls whlch consLlLuLes Lhe genulne dlalecLlcal momenL'.
13
lL ls Lhe negaLlve
LhaL 'enables Lo advance' as lL lnLroduces progress Lo a socleLy, for even ln lLs mosL
general sense of faulLflndlng, negaLlve crlLlque almed Lo make Lhe world beLLer
(desplLe cynlcs who mlghL ob[ecL, saylng lL made Lhe faulLflnders feel beLLer).
negaLlve crlLlque was abouL lmprovlng, and lf crlLlque no longer reaches Lhe one lL
means Lo oppose, one has Lo ask 'how can our socleLles make progress?'


13
'8uperL Murdoch: l do noL accepL responslblllLy for wrongdolng aL news of Lhe World', 91,
9,3,A&"+1> 19 !uly 2011, hLLp://www.Lelegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacklng/8647802/8uperL-
Murdoch-l-do-noL-accepL-responslblllLy-for-wrongdolng-aL-news-of-Lhe-World.hLml.
14
Alexandre ko[eve, '1he ulalecLlc of Lhe 8eal and Lhe henomenologlcal MeLhod ln Pegel', ln
Alexandre ko[eve, B#0&%$8704%# 0% 01, 2,"$4#A %5 *,A,3, lLhaca, n?: Cornell unlverslLy ress, 1969, pp.
169-260.
13
Ceorg lrledrlch Wllhelm Pegel, 674,#7, %5 C%A47, London: 8ouLledge, 2002 (1969), p. 33.
Clearly dlalecLlcs as much as negaLlve crlLlque hasn'L [usL been a phllosophlcal
concepL. lar beyond Lhe crlLlcal Lheory of Lhe lrankfurL School, Lhey are cenLral Lo
human emanclpaLlon, and Lhelr slgnaLure lefL a deep mark on modernlLy ln general
and democracy ln parLlcular. All democraLlc socleLles resL on Lhe assumpLlon LhaL we
have a governmenL and an opposlLlon LhaL by negaLlng Lhe governmenL's pollcy
doesn'L slmply conLrol lL, buL also challenges lL for Lhe beLLer, as ln progress.
CpposlLlon ln Lhe form of poslLlonlng a lefL and rlghL sLrucLured our publlc soclal llfe,
parllamenLs, as well as newspapers and medla organlzaLlons. 1hus, when Lhe
concepL of crlLlque ls aL sLake, our modern democraLlc socleLles have reason Lo
worry.

knowlng abouL Lhe lmporLance of negaLlve crlLlc, however, doesn'L change Lhe facL
LhaL ln Lhe currenL afflrmaLlve dlscourse lL grasps aL noLhlng: Lhe opponenL slmply
agrees and lndlcaLes good wlll, Loo, whlle of course noLhlng ls supposed Lo be
changed. lorLunaLely, negaLlon lsn'L Lhe only drlve for maklng progress. negaLlve
crlLlque surely has been one of Lhe mosL used rheLorlc Lechnlques, buL
argumenLaLlon can follow many ways ln order Lo push aL Lhe borders. 8esldes
"+%&4", very much loved by kanL,
16
Lhere ls 714"(= beloved by uerrlda,
17
or hlsLorlc
comparlson and Lraclng LransformaLlons ofLen used by loucaulL,
18
as well as
deducLlve and lnducLlve reasonlng. As a maLLer of facL, Lhe Lerm crlLlque lLself has
been used ln ways oLher Lhan Lo lndlcaLe negaLlon. kanL's D&404E8, %5 !8&, 2,"(%#,
and laLer WalLer 8en[amln's D&404E8, %5 F4%3,#7, referred Lo Lhe Lerm ln order Lo
slgnlfy Lhe examlnaLlon of a sub[ecL.
19
1hls lndlcaLes LhaL crlLlque ls noL reduced Lo
negaLlon, and elaboraLlng on Lhls Lraln of LhoughL Lhe phllosopher kaLhrln 1hlele
recenLly proposed an afflrmaLlve engagemenL wlLh crlLlcallLy. SLlll, Lhere ls a
problem: whaL becomes of reslsLance? lf we leL go of Lhe concepL of negaLlon, we
lose Lhe Lool of opposlLlon. Pow can power be conLrolled? Agaln, Lhls quesLlon can
be followed up lf we reLurn Lo lacebook and lLs way of processlng power.

When power operaLes ln Lhe new dlscourse by golng underground, when power lsn'L
exerclsed buL musL be lnvesLlgaLed, analyzed, and unvelled Lo become vlslble, lLs
mode of operaLlon has obvlously changed. AL flrsL glance, Lhe sLraLegy of Lhe uaLa
roLecLlon CenLer's opposlLlon Lo lacebook falled as lL [usL caused Lrouble for some
webslLes ln Schleswlg-PolsLeln, wlLh abouL Lhree of Lhem awalLlng Lrlal ln Lhe
admlnlsLraLlve courL before Lhe end of 2012. 8egardlng lacebook, however, Lhe
small uaLa roLecLlon CenLer dldn'L aglLaLe ln valn. Whlle lL couldn'L reach Lhe
company dlrecLly, lLs acLlons have caused producLlve Lrouble. lL sLlrred up aLLenLlon

16
lmmanuel kanL, G# G#(;,& 0% 01, H8,(04%#- I:1"0 4( .#34A10,#=,#0JK> London: enguln 8ooks,
2009 (1784), p.1.
17
!acques uerrlda, G+%&4"( (L,&4$4"#- D&%((4#A G,(01,047(M, Lrans. 1homas uuLolL, alo AlLo, Callfornla:
SLanford unlverslLy ress, 1993.
18
Mlchel loucaulL, 'WhaL ls LnllghLenmenL?', ln aul 8ablnow (ed.) 91, N%87"830 2,"$,&, new ?ork:
anLheon 8ooks, 1984, pp. 32-30.
19
WalLer 8en[amln, 'CrlLlque of vlolence', Lrans. Ldmund !ephcoLL, ln WalLer 8en[amln @#,O:"/
60&,,0 "#$ @01,& :&404#A(, London: nL8, 1979 (1921), pp. 236-232.
wlLh medla reporLlng worldwlde abouL Lhe CenLer's underLaklng, wlLh arLlcles
maklng people aware of several facLs lncludlng: LhaL whaL lacebook calls an Cpen
Craph ls Lechnlcally a walled garden, LhaL Lhere are very real ways LhaL Lhelr very
personal daLa Lravels, and LhaL lL ls operaLlng as a generally hard Lo reach lrlsh
company. 1he CenLer's acLlon has also remlnded lacebook LhaL lL needs Lo respecL
Lhe law, lnsLead of operaLlng ln Lhe lndependence of cyberspace used by blg players
pushlng oLhers around. lurLhermore, by reservlng Lhe rlghL Lo quesLlon lacebook
even Lhough Lhe slLuaLlon seemed unpromlslng, Lhe uaLa roLecLlon CenLer opened
Lhe space Lo clalm LhaL people don'L 'wanL Lo be governed llke Lhls' as one could say,
loosely based on Lhe words of loucaulL.
20


Whlle a dlrecL opposlLlon couldn'L reach lacebook, Lhe acLlons of Lhe uaLa
roLecLlon CenLer dlsLurbed lLs clrcles. lL has noL been able Lo dlrecLly force Lhe
company Lo enacL change, or Lo wln Lhe argumenL, buL lL caused lrrlLaLlon and drew
aLLenLlon Lo a problem LhaL couldn'L be hldden anymore. 1hus lL can be sald, LhaL
Loday lrrlLaLlon ls a Lechnlque of enllghLenmenL, and a forceful one: negaLlon can be
approprlaLed, lrrlLaLlon can'L. As we flnd negaLlve crlLlque neuLrallzed by Lhe manLra
of 'generally agreelng wlLh Lhe cause' and 'noL belng responslble', negaLlve
opposlLlon comes Lo noLhlng. Pere, lrrlLaLlon doesn'L allow Lhe coverlng up of
problems and forces us Lo look lnLo Lhe deLalls Lo learn abouL whaL's golng on. lrom
Lhls poslLlon Lhe noLlon of crlLlque can also be re-approprlaLed.


E,4F :(,2 ,2* B/%&GD*

hllosopher kaLherln 1hlele, whlle debaLlng crlLlcal Lhlnklng of Loday aL a conference
ln 8erlln, made an lnLeresLlng suggesLlon: Lo read crlLlque noL as a process of
deLecLlng, uncoverlng and flghLlng conLradlcLlons, buL as an lmmanenL pracLlce, l.e.
Lo engage.
21
CuoLlng uonna Paraway's approach of 'sLaylng wlLh Lhe Lrouble'
22
Lhls
concepL of crlLlque as a radlcal afflrmaLlve gesLure proposes Lo geL aLLached Lo Lhe
maLLers aL sLake, maneuver Lhem, and negoLlaLe Lhem lnLo a 'dlfferenL' fuLure,
lnsLead of Lhe Lendency Lo 'separaLe', 'dlsLlngulsh', and 'dlsLance' ourselves from
whaL we don'L llke. A gesLure LhaL sLands crlLlque on lLs feeL ln a kanLlan way as lL
enacLs crlLlque much ln Lhe same sense LhaL he had regardlng enllghLenmenL: as a
'sLrenuous exerclse', and noL as a 'fanLasy of omnlpoLence',
23
as 1hlele polnLs ouL. ln
order Lo noL agaln llve ln a self-lncurred LuLelage, we need Lo 'have Lhe courage Lo
use our own undersLandlng'. ln Lhe absence of a preconflgured dlalecLlcal world
neaLly Lldled up ln Lwo opposlng sldes, we need Lo organlze ourselves newly 'agalnsL
allgnmenL wlLh Lhe way of Lhe world, agalnsL wlLhdrawal from engagemenL wlLh Lhe
world', as Lhe 8rlLlsh phllosopher eLer Pallward puL lL when he concepLuallzed a

20
Mlchel loucaulL, 'WhaL ls CrlLlque?', Lrans. Lysa PochroLh and CaLherlne orLer ln Sylvere LoLrlnger
(ed.) 91, !%34047( %5 9&801, Los Angeles, SemloLexL(e) 1997, p. 44.
21
kaLhrln 1hlele, 'ln CrlLlcal CondlLlon or lully CuL of SLeam? CrlLlcal 1hlnklng 1oday', B#0,&#"04%#"3
D%#5,&,#7, 'P,A,#Q60"#$ $,& R&404S, lnLernaLlonal Conference' by of Lhe ulC-CradulerLenkolleg
'Lebensformen und Lebenswlssen', 8erlln, !une 28-30 !une, 2012.
22
uonna Paraway, ':1,# 6+,74,( L,,0: SLaylng wlLh Lhe 1rouble', .#T4&%#=,#0 "#$ !3"##4#A <-
6%74,0/ "#$ 6+"7, 28.1 (2010): 33.
23
1hlele, 'ln CrlLlcal CondlLlon or lully CuL of SLeam? CrlLlcal 1hlnklng 1oday', p. 8.
'prescrlpLlve pracLlce of pollLlcs'
24
worLh looklng lnLo. lor we need Lo flnd new
answers. ln Loday's world, Lhlngs are compllcaLed and complex whlch ls as
exhausLlng as lL ls an lnLeresLlng challenge.

1hls challenge ls glven wlLh lacebook. Whlle Lhere ls reason Lo make Lhe polnL LhaL
we do 'noL wanL Lo be governed llke LhaL', noL afLer Lhese rules, lL lsn'L slmply our
enemy. uesplLe Lhe afflrmaLlve, Lhumbs up deslgn of Lhe plaLform, lL can also be a
crlLlcal soclal Lool, and furLhermore one LhaL does noL only collecL daLa from lLs users
buL also provldes securlLy for Lhem. ln Lhe revoluLlonary uprlslng LhaL sLarLed
uecember 2010 and was laLer colned Lhe Arab Sprlng, lacebook among oLher soclal
medla slLes was used Lo organlze demonsLraLlons and proLesLs as well as Lo record
and reporL vlolence. Crdlnary people sLarLed Lo publlsh clashes wlLh securlLy forces
ln Lhe sLreeLs, and fllm bruLal vlolence and devasLaLlng funerals uslng Lhelr camera
phones. AfLer many oLher vldeo sharlng slLes had been blocked ln 1unlsla by Lhe
governmenL, lacebook became an alLernaLlve news agency, and found lLself soon ln
Lhe focus of Lhe counLry's securlLy force. 1hese forces used Lhe lnLerneL servlce
provlders Lo lnLroduce a mallclous plece of code Lo sLeal users' logln lnformaLlon
when Lhey wenL Lo slLe. Pere, lacebook's Chlef SecurlLy Cfflcer !oe Sulllvan
responded smarLly wlLh Lwo Lechnlcal soluLlons: ln order Lo encrypL Lhe lnformaLlon
senL Lhey rerouLed lL Lo an hLLps server, buL Lo really ensure LhaL Lhe rlghL person
had logged lnLo Lhe accounL, Lhey made hlm or her ldenLlfy Lhelr frlends ln phoLos.
23

A slmple buL effecLlve Lrlck. Pere, Lhe followlng becomes obvlous: ln Lhe era of
afflrmaLlon Lhere are always more Lhan Lwo sldes. SLlll, we need Lo make a sLand,
and we can. lnsLead of negaLlng, crlLlque ln Lhe afflrmaLlve dlscourse holds on Lo
lssues ln order Lo sLubbornly gulde Lhls world lnLo a dlfferenL fuLure.

H*5*/*19*"

8en[amln, WalLer. 'CrlLlque of vlolence', Lrans. Ldmund !ephcoLL, ln WalLer
8en[amln, @#,O:"/ 60&,,0 "#$ @01,& :&404#A(, London: nL8, 1979 (1921), pp. 236-
232.
uerrlda, !acques. G+%&4"( (L,&4$4"#- D&%((4#A G,(01,047(M, Lrans. 1homas uuLolL, alo
AlLo, Callfornla: SLanford unlverslLy ress, 1993.
lleLcher, uan. 'lacebook Looks Lo CeL ersonal', 94=,> 22 Aprll 2010,
hLLp://www.Llme.com/Llme/buslness/arLlcle/0,8399,1983721,00.hLml.

loucaulL, Mlchel. 'WhaL ls CrlLlque?', Lrans. Lysa PochroLh and CaLherlne orLer ln
Sylvere LoLrlnger (ed.) 91, !%34047( %5 9&801, Los Angeles, SemloLexL(e) 1997, pp. 44-
82.


24
eLer Pallward, 'ollLlcs of rescrlpLlon', 6%801 G03"#047 H8"&0,&3/ 104.4 (lall 2003): 770-71.
23
Alexls Madrlgal, '1he lnslde SLory of Pow lacebook 8esponded Lo Lhe 1unlslan Packs, 91, G03"#047,
24 !anuary 2011, hLLp://www.LheaLlanLlc.com/Lechnology/archlve/2011/01/Lhe-lnslde-sLory-of-how-
facebook-responded-Lo-Lunlslan-hacks/70044/.

______. 'WhaL ls LnllghLenmenL?', ln aul 8ablnow (ed.) 91, N%87"830 2,"$,&, new
?ork: anLheon 8ooks, 1984, pp. 32-30.

Clddens, AnLhony. 91, 914&$ :"/> 91, 2,#,;"3 %5 6%74"3 <,=%7&"7/, Cambrldge, uk:
ollLy ress, 1998.

Palpln, Parry. '1he Pldden PlsLory of Lhe Llke" 8uLLon', unllke us: undersLandlng
Soclal Medla and Lhelr Monopolles Conference, AmsLerdam, 8-10 March 2012.

Pallward, eLer. 'ollLlcs of rescrlpLlon', 6%801 G03"#047 H8"&0,&3/ 104.4 (lall 2003):
769-789.

Paraway, uonna. ':1,# 6+,74,( L,,0: SLaylng wlLh Lhe 1rouble', .#T4&%#=,#0 "#$
!3"##4#A <- 6%74,0/ "#$ 6+"7, 28.1 (2010): 33-33.

Pegel, Ceorg lrledrlch Wllhelm. 674,#7, %5 C%A47, London: 8ouLledge, 2002 (1969).

kanL, lmmanuel. G# G#(;,& 0% 01, H8,(04%#- I:1"0 4( .#34A10,#=,#0JK> London:
enguln 8ooks, 2009 (1784).

ko[eve, Alexandre. '1he ulalecLlc of Lhe 8eal and Lhe henomenologlcal MeLhod ln
Pegel', ln Alexandre ko[eve, B#0&%$8704%# 0% 01, 2,"$4#A %5 *,A,3, lLhaca, n?: Cornell
unlverslLy ress, 1969, pp. 169-260.

LaLour, 8runo. 'A CollecLlve Cf Pumans And nonhumans', ln 8runo LaLour, !"#$%&"'(
*%+,- .(("/( %# 01, 2,"340/ %5 674,#7, 608$4,(, Cambrldge, MassachuseLLs: Parvard
unlverslLy ress, 1999, pp. 174-213.

Madrlgal, Alexls. '1he lnslde SLory of Pow lacebook 8esponded Lo Lhe 1unlslan
Packs, 91, G03"#047, 24 !anuary 2011,
hLLp://www.LheaLlanLlc.com/Lechnology/archlve/2011/01/Lhe-lnslde-sLory-of-how-
facebook-responded-Lo-Lunlslan-hacks/70044/.

'8uperL Murdoch: l do noL accepL responslblllLy for wrongdolng aL news of Lhe
World', 91, 9,3,A&"+1, 19 !uly 2011,
hLLp://www.Lelegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/phone-hacklng/8647802/8uperL-
Murdoch-l-do-noL-accepL-responslblllLy-for-wrongdolng-aL-news-of-Lhe-World.hLml.

1hlele, kaLhrln. 'ln CrlLlcal CondlLlon or lully CuL of SLeam? CrlLlcal 1hlnklng 1oday',
P,A,#Q60"#$ $,& R&404S, lnLernaLlonal Conference by ulC-CradulerLenkolleg
Lebensformen und Lebenswlssen, 8erlln, 28-30 !une 2012.

unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz. 'uLu an WebselLenbeLrelber:
lacebook-8elchwelLenanalyse abschalLen"', unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur
uaLenschuLz, 19 AugusL 2011,
hLLps://www.daLenschuLzzenLrum.de/presse/20110819-facebook.hLm.

______. 'lacebook Sucks - Cb[ecLlon ls SLlll and Cnce Agaln necessary',
unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 13 May 2012,
hLLp://www.daLenschuLzzenLrum.de/presse/20120316-facebook-sucks.hLm.

______. 'lacebook lm Cesprach mlL dem uLu: kelne verbesserungen belm
uaLenschuLz', unabhanglges LandeszenLrum fur uaLenschuLz, 24 !uly 2012,
hLLp://www.daLenschuLzzenLrum.de/presse/20120724-facebook-sLlllsLand.hLm.