Geert Lovink

Geert Lovink
Geert Lovink in 2010
Born	1959 (age 57–58)
Nationality	Dutch
Alma mater	University of Amsterdam, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland
Occupation	Professor
Employer	University of Amsterdam, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, European Graduate School
Website	http://networkcultures.org/ http://networkcultures.org/geert http://laudanum.net/geert/

Geert Lovink (born 1959, Amsterdam) is the founding director of the Institute of Network Cultures, whose goals are to explore, document and feed the potential for socio-economical change of the new media field through events, publications and open dialogue. As theorist, activist and net critic, Lovink has made an effort in helping to shape the development of the web.

Lovink is a Research Professor of Interactive Media at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam (HvA) and a Professor of Media Theory at the European Graduate School. From 2004-2013 he was an Associate Professor of New Media at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). Lovink earned his master's degree in political science at the University of Amsterdam, holds a PhD from the University of Melbourne and has been a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Queensland.

Since the early eighties, Lovink has been involved in a range of different projects and initiatives in the field of new media.

On 31 May 2010 Geert Lovink took part in Quit Facebook Day and deleted his Facebook account.

Geert Lovink was one of the key theorists behind the concept of tactical media – the use of media technologies as a tool for critical theory to become artistic practice. As an Internet activist, he describes tactical media as a "deliberately slippery term, a tool for creating 'temporary consensus zones' based on unexpected alliances. A temporary alliance of hackers, artists, critics, journalists and activists." In essence, he believes that these new resources of which audiences could become participants in actions against higher powers became an area in which many different types of people could unite. Lovink also was a founder of such projects as "nettime", "organised networks", "virtual media" and more.

These are some of the projects Lovink is or has been involved with: