Michael Richardson is an Associate Professor of Media at UNSW Sydney, where he co-directs the Media Futures Hub and Autonomous Media Lab. His research focuses on the intersections of war, surveillance, trauma, and emerging technologies. With a transdisciplinary background in media studies, cultural studies, literature, and international relations, Michael explores the impacts of technology and violence in contexts of war and security.
He is the author of two notable books: Gestures of Testimony: Torture, Trauma, and Affect in Literature (Bloomsbury, 2016) and the forthcoming Nonhuman Witnessing: War, Data, and Ecology after the End of the World (Duke University Press, 2024). His scholarly work has been published in prominent journals such as Theory, Culture & Society, New Media & Society, and Environmental Humanities, among others. Michael is also a contributor to media outlets like ABC News and The Conversation.
A seasoned media commentator and recognized as one of ABC’s Top 5 Humanities Researchers, Michael offers expertise on various topics at the intersection of media, technology, and culture, including drone warfare, surveillance, and political violence. He is available for commentary on these subjects through email or the UNSW Newsroom.
Riya sat down with Richardson after attending The Inhuman Condition presented at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas 2024, to discuss the issue of technological advancements’ involvement in warfare. We use technology in our daily lives to make our work easier and more efficient, but it can be difficult to comprehend the ways in which technology has impacted modern warfare and actively being used for destruction in conflicts happening around the world.
Do you believe that technology leads to diminishing culture?
In one way, technological advancements help us develop tools to make sculptures, paintings, and present art and culture through various forms of media. I think of technology and culture evolving together and constituting one another. However, having said that, it is important to consider that emerging technologies such as AI are leading to fast developments in culture production. An example of this would be the printing press in Europe that took hundreds of years to transform how people interact with cultural writings. At this current age of technology, these same changes are made quickly and at a large scale, making it difficult to understand these impacts, and more dizzying considering the speed and the scale of these major changes. I think it is important to understand that the relationship between culture and technology is more complicated than we think, and always has been.
Talking about these quick advancements in technology, how do you think they have impacted war and conflict?
Looking at the history of war, we can say that developments in technology increased our capacity to harm one another in conflicts. Wars that were fought before the introduction of gun and gunpowder were just as brutal, but the development of these tools led to an increase in the scale of this harm. The same concept applies to aeroplanes and rockets, which have now given us the ability to reach greater distances and target more people than before. Currently, we are seeing that technology such as drones and other forms of AI are speeding up war, targeting people and making them always feel unsafe, and hence it is very important to be mindful of how technology is being incorporated in warfare.
Technological advancements such as drones and rockets have had devastating impacts on warfare. Media, which is another aspect of technology, impacts our awareness and knowledge about conflicts. For example, according to the UN representative for Palestine, as reported by Al Jazeera, the war in Gaza is the most documented genocide in history, but conflicts in other regions such as the Democratic Republic of Congo remain silenced with little to no coverage on mainstream media platforms. How do you think media coverage on war and conflict benefits us?
Communications media representation helps portray war and conflict as more intimate and immediate to distant audiences, increasing awareness and encouraging revolution and change.
What is happening in Gaza and Ukraine currently is a good example of how the media can mobilise the world and can create public resilience to warfare. The genocide in Gaza is a good example of how media coverage is bringing attention to the horrid atrocities being committed and encouraging people to participate in movements around the world pushing for a ceasefire.
We mostly used to get our news from channels on televisions, but it is a different thing having your social media pages bombarded with brutal reports of war crimes being committed in Gaza, making it feel more immediate and highlighting the need for change and resistance.
On the other hand, the silent conflicts in Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts in Africa also highlight the limitations of this system. Social media focuses on content that grabs attention and the more attention is given to one conflict occurring, the less attention other conflicts happening around the world get.
For example, despite 20 years of American occupation in Afghanistan, we do not see much coverage on how the situation is in Afghanistan post this occupation now that the Taliban is back in power. While media coverage on conflict does open some possibilities, we cannot be sure if that media coverage is getting the attention that it needs, and if that attention is leading to actual change.
What would you say is the most interesting thing you have discovered in your field of research?
I am currently really interested in the interaction between the military and the technology sector. We are seeing a lot of militants, especially US militants, in the technology sector exploring where technology can be used in warfare. This is a big shift from the military interacting with traditional manufacturers and producing warfare tools that take years to develop. We are now seeing tech companies that specialise in AI contributing and developing high-end technology that can be used in warfare, and there is a lot of change and transformation happening quickly due to these technological resources that are now available. There is a huge difference between testing an AI device for something as simple as farming techniques, for example, and technology being tested on its capacity to cause harm and destruction towards other human beings.
Through this interview, Richardson shared valuable insights into the complex relationships between technology, war, and media. Understanding how rapidly developing technology shapes conflict is critical to help us navigate these changes and stay vigilant about how technology can empower but also destroy societies when used with the wrong intention. Richardson’s research highlights the need for thoughtful engagement with technology and contributes to our understanding of modern conflict.
The Festival of Dangerous Ideas was presented by The Ethics Centre in August 2024, supported by Principal Partner UNSW Sydney. Catch up on talks from over 12 years’ of FODI at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas: podcast festivalofdangerousideas.com.