New Media can use its power for either good or evil, the jury is out on which will emerge the victor. All these projects using computers, mobile phones, the internet, and other new technologies to investigate issues in art, often having to do with identity, location, connection and isolation. Some of which are just first step uses, and others which are more advanced aesthetically and conceptually. But the disturbing thing is how easily so many of these projects could be repurposed for surveillance, could be used by the police state to monitor us. And in some cases without much tweaking at all.
New Media artists cannot even retreat into the position of remoras on the underbelly of the luxury classes, which is bad enough. No oversized static images to go over the Eames sofa in the loft, or in the lobby of HQ; edgy enough to show the owner has taste, but of course nothing too polemic. No; New Media artists are building and making more flexible the technologies of control in the guise of cute little art projects: direct servants of the machine. And what's worse: we've volunteered.