“Sleep Dealer” and the Border Politics of Tech w/ Alex Rivera

Paris Marx is joined by Alex Rivera to discuss his 2008 film Sleep Dealer and how it imagined exploitative technologies being implemented in a future Mexico of hardened borders and limited migration.

Alex Rivera is a filmmaker and digital media artist whose work explores themes of globalization, migration, and technology. His feature films include Sleep Dealer and The Infiltrators. Follow Alex on Twitter as @Alex_Rivera.

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Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.

Also mentioned in this episode:

You can rent or buy Sleep Dealer from the official website.Paris wrote about Sleep Dealer and what it illustrates about technology for Jacobin.Border walls are still going up around the world.Smart tech is often designed to hide the human labor that makes it work.Kiwibot delivery robots are driven by Colombian workers making $2/hour.

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