Bits, Bytes, and Bats

A lot of organisms get in contact with the internet. Radio waves flow right through animals and plants, just like us humans. But humans are the only ones who can use this network. There is a need to reposition human beings on planet earth, who, in the age of capitalism, have been exploiting the non-human world for self-profit. A new network for all living and non-living species could potentially remove the idea of the Anthropocene, or better, the Capitalocene. The era where humans dominate the impact on earth’s geology and ecosystems.

Radio waves used by GSM, WIFI, GPS, and radio broadcasting technologies surround us. Most contemporary networking methods are made possible because of this imperceivable spectrum. But did you know that, just like radio waves, there are also imperceivable sound waves? Sound waves that are too high-pitched for our ears. We call these waves ultrasonic sounds. Bats use ultrasonic sounds for their ways of networking, like communication and navigation. Could we learn from bats for a new open network?