The Hardware Turn in the Digital Discourse: an Analysis, Explanation, and Potential Risk

Abstract

The article examines the evolution of the digital discourse, indicating a paradigmatic shift from an immaterial to a material emphasis. Traditionally dominated by a focus on the intangible aspects of the digital—bits rather than atoms, especially software, data, services, experiences and interactions—the digital discourse is experiencing a hardware turn, which brings the infrastructure of digital technologies to the fore. The article elucidates how this transition expands the scope of digital ethics, encompassing the Governance, Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (GELSI) of material components such as rare earth mineral mining, semiconductor production, datacentre operations, undersea cables and satellites. The interpretation defended is that the hardware turn is not the result of intellectual insights or scholarly advocacy but a response to political powers recognizing the strategic value of owning or controlling the material underpinnings of the digital domain (digital sovereignty). The article warns against the risk of swinging from an exclusively immaterial perspective to a solely material one, advocating for a relational ontology that focuses on the physical and social structures supporting the digital experience.

Keywords: Digital discourse, digital sovereignty, GELSI, hardware turn, relational ontology