I really love this idea of data as soil. It also raises the question of who owns our data. If it becomes communal as opposed to something that belongs to corporate interests, then it’s less likely to be extracted for profit.
As a small farmer who practices agroecological methods, I would add that the logic too often applied to soil is also extractive. Soil isn't just a growing medium that can be crudely manipulated (tilled, chemically supplemented) or easily substituted for (hydroponics) without dire long term consequences. Soil is relational. Soil is a web of organic lifeforms and inorganic compounds in a community dance. Enter into that relationship respectfully and it returns abundance.
In the long litany of data metaphors, soil definitely beats oil— second only perhaps to data is the new bacon 😂seriously though the need for proper cultivation of data is very needed for these models. I wrote about similar themes here
I really love this idea of data as soil. It also raises the question of who owns our data. If it becomes communal as opposed to something that belongs to corporate interests, then it’s less likely to be extracted for profit.
As a small farmer who practices agroecological methods, I would add that the logic too often applied to soil is also extractive. Soil isn't just a growing medium that can be crudely manipulated (tilled, chemically supplemented) or easily substituted for (hydroponics) without dire long term consequences. Soil is relational. Soil is a web of organic lifeforms and inorganic compounds in a community dance. Enter into that relationship respectfully and it returns abundance.
In the long litany of data metaphors, soil definitely beats oil— second only perhaps to data is the new bacon 😂seriously though the need for proper cultivation of data is very needed for these models. I wrote about similar themes here
https://pioneeringspirit.xyz/3web-the-frontier-where-digital-meets-dirt