“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.