ABSTRACT

Newly emerging technologies for digital communication facilitate rapid data collection, storage and processing whereby subsequent interactions can be unpredictable. This creates a ‘darker turn’ in neo-communicative practices. That which is 'dark' is understood as communication that has either limited distribution, is not open to all users – closed groups by way of example – or is veiled. Dark social spaces are, however, indistinct requiring further study. This is giving rise to new work in what I call ‘dark social studies’. To further explore the nature and use of dark social spaces, a digital (auto)ethnographic study of ‘dark’ social connection was undertaken. The analysis specifically focused on Mastodon, Galaxy3 and 8Kun’s ‘.onion’ available over Tor (The Onion Router). This article concludes that for a number, virtual ‘dark’ spaces provide affirmative, intimate and vital zones of connection to others and peer collaboration. Further, the interconnected and interactive capacity of dark social spaces facilitates user expectations for dark connection while exposing simultaneously the limitations of our intimate machines.

摘要

新兴的数字通信技术促进了数据的快速收集、存储和处理，随后的交互可能是不可预测的。这在neo中创造了一个“黑暗的转折”- 交流实践。“暗”被理解为传播有限、不向所有用户开放——例如封闭组——或被掩盖。然而，黑暗的社交空间是模糊的，需要进一步研究。这催生了我称之为“黑暗社会研究”的新工作。为了进一步探索黑暗社会空间的性质和用途，对“黑暗”社会联系进行了数字（自动）人种学研究。分析特别关注 Mastodon、Galaxy3 和 8Kun 的“.onion”可通过 Tor（洋葱路由器）获得。本文的结论是，对于许多虚拟“黑暗”空间而言，它提供了与他人和同伴协作的积极、亲密和重要的联系区域。更远，