Terraforming Tales of Software and Us

The notion of software as “soft” is losing its meaning in modernity, even as layers of code rapidly “terraform” the earth. In the tech industry, the concept of terraforming is barely metaphorical, having been appropriated to brand a popular software tool. In this talk, Clea Bourne will examine the notion of terraforming, its interpretations in fiction and reality, and the ethical debates that have long cast a shadow over its portrayal as a utopian ideal. She asks what humans can do to resist the terraforming effects of software-as-infrastructure and everyday interfaces. Do we update ourselves to adapt to software’s reshaping of the world? Do we mutate into new forms of life, as often imagined in sci-fi narratives? Or do we consolidate what it means to protect our planet on entirely new terms? In this lecture she highlights the less visible but vital forms of power needed to reimagine and reconstruct software’s influence over the planet.