Abstract

Networked is a serialized radio drama following Gale, a woman in her thirties, as she uncovers the trail of her partner Annabelle’s disappearance. Annabelle’s data is brought to life through the haphazard efforts of Factory’s virtual archivist, a rogue chatbot named B. Together, Gale and B travel up and down the tower of Factory’s extensive archives, each floor shifting into a chapter of Annabelle’s story via dangerous, untested technology. Parallel to Annabelle’s journey, Gale uncovers a sinister motive behind Factory’s relentless data collection and a scheme that undermines not only her relationship, but the nature of all relationships in technologically inundated societies. Gale’s search for Annabelle, despite being fantastical in its unfolding, relies on the concrete processes of data collection, and aims to demystify data brokerage by exploring the ways in which our lives are identified, quantified, and monetized through our relationship with the digital world. Alongside the notable benefits of allowing our technologies to know us better, Networked aims to uncover the disadvantages—both current and speculative—of unregulated data collection in relation to the nebulous themes of privacy, freedom, and control.