{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,2,19]],"date-time":"2026-02-19T17:32:08Z","timestamp":1771522328372,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,1]],"date-time":"2022-01-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1640995200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"abstract":"<jats:p> Digital organizations form part of the new wave of blockchain technologies, following Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies. \u201cUtopia of Abstraction\u201d offers an analysis of the utopian promise of digital organizations through a reading of one such project, Colony. We provide a critique of the ideology of Colony's white paper, supplemented by readings of pages from its website, as a member of a genre of texts that promote their products through seemingly neutral, technical descriptions. Colony's texts suggest an abstract, contextless and scaleless organizational solution\u2014powered by smart contracts on a blockchain\u2014that, according to its proponents, might be applied to any social situation, from small firm to state-level governance. For its users, this organization combines a promise of sovereignty removed from that of the state, as well as implied financial returns. Our reading of Colony echoes the critiques of scholars arguing that cyberlibertarianism is a dominant politic of blockchain technologies. Furthermore, drawing on critiques of code as law and the elision of the social in smart contracts, we argue that Colony's vision presents a model of technical organization that substitutes for the state in the context of waning popular sovereignty. We ultimately suggest an understanding of digital organizations reminiscent of the settler colonial situation: the assumption of an empty social space to be filled, and the promise of sovereignty and riches for those occupying it. Analysis of these logics is relevant as hype increases around non-fungible tokens, Web3, and the corporate metaverse as well as data practices more widely. <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/20539517221084587","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,25]],"date-time":"2022-03-25T05:12:50Z","timestamp":1648185170000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":20,"title":["Utopia of abstraction: Digital organizations and the promise of sovereignty"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2051-7694","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Tim","family":"Corballis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Science in Society, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7509-7861","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Max","family":"Soar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centre for Science in Society, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,3,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"2","key":"bibr1-20539517221084587","first-page":"3","volume":"15","author":"Balasopoulos A","year":"2004","journal-title":"Utopian Studies"},{"key":"bibr2-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.37514\/RNT-J.1996.3.6.21"},{"key":"bibr3-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Replenishing the Earth the Settler Revolution and the Rise of the Anglo-World, 1783\u20131939","author":"Belich J","year":"2009"},{"key":"bibr4-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/j.ctt1x07z9t"},{"key":"bibr5-20539517221084587","volume-title":"The World Computer: Derivative Conditions of Racial Capitalism","author":"Beller J","year":"2021"},{"key":"bibr6-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Buterin V (2014) A Next Generation Smart Contract & Decentralized Application Platform. Available at: https:\/\/blockchainlab.com\/pdf\/Ethereum white_paper-a_next_generation_ smart_contract and_decentralized_application_platform-vitalik-buterin.pdf (accessed 13 August 2021)."},{"key":"bibr7-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/14650045.2020.1823836"},{"key":"bibr8-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0263276411418490"},{"key":"bibr9-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Programmed Visions: Software and Memory","author":"Chun WHK","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr10-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1468-0335.1937.tb00002.x"},{"key":"bibr11-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Colony.io (2015) The Future of Work. Available at: https:\/\/blog.colony.io\/the-future-of-work-cf99211e7ac4\/ (accessed 6 November 2020)."},{"key":"bibr12-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Colony.io (n.d.) About the Colony Vision. Available at: https:\/\/colony.io\/about (accessed 6 November 2020)."},{"key":"bibr13-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Cuende L, Izquierdo J (2017) Aragon Network: A Decentralized Infrastructure for Value Exchange. Available at: https:\/\/www.allcryptowhitepapers.com\/aragon-whitepaper\/ (accessed 17 December 2021)."},{"key":"bibr14-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2752\/175174310X12750685679753"},{"key":"bibr16-20539517221084587","unstructured":"DAOstack: An Operating System for Collective Intelligence (2018) Available at: https:\/\/daostack.io\/wp\/DAOstack-White-Paper-en.pdf."},{"key":"bibr17-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1017\/S1744137417000200"},{"key":"bibr18-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/j.ctv2867sp"},{"key":"bibr19-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9781315211909-8"},{"key":"bibr20-20539517221084587","unstructured":"du Rose J (2017b) The Colony Token Sale. Available at: https:\/\/blog.colony.io\/the-colony-token-sale-7ac14c845bc0\/ (accessed 24 August 2021)."},{"key":"bibr21-20539517221084587","unstructured":"du Rose J (2017a) SAFTE: A Simple Agreement for Future Tokens (or Equity). Available at: https:\/\/blog.colony.io\/a-simple-agreement-for-future-tokens-or-equity-b8ef08608347\/ (accessed 24 August 2021)."},{"key":"bibr22-20539517221084587","volume-title":"The Road Ahead","author":"Gates B","year":"1995"},{"key":"bibr23-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4159\/9780674053885"},{"key":"bibr24-20539517221084587","volume-title":"The Politics of Bitcoin: Software as Right-Wing Extremism","author":"Golumbia D","year":"2016","edition":"1"},{"key":"bibr25-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life","author":"Greenfield A","year":"2017"},{"key":"bibr26-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Simians, Cyborgs, and Women","author":"Haraway D","year":"1990"},{"key":"bibr27-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oso\/9780199283262.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr28-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7551\/mitpress\/9780262029513.001.0001"},{"key":"bibr29-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/fi8040049"},{"key":"bibr30-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Archaeologies of the Future: The Desire Called Utopia and Other Science Fictions","author":"Jameson F","year":"2005"},{"key":"bibr31-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2053951720985249"},{"key":"bibr32-20539517221084587","first-page":"83","volume-title":"New Perspectives on Utopian Thought","author":"Kellner D","year":"2011"},{"key":"bibr33-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-70344-2"},{"key":"bibr34-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Code: And Other Laws of Cyberspace","author":"Lessig L","year":"2000"},{"key":"bibr35-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.17351\/ests2017.107"},{"key":"bibr36-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/2056305119863146"},{"key":"bibr37-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Ruling the Void: The Hollowing of Western Democracy","author":"Mair P","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr38-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1050651917729861"},{"key":"bibr39-20539517221084587","unstructured":"May T (n.d.) The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto. Available at: http:\/\/groups.csail.mit.edu\/ mac\/classes\/6.805\/articles\/crypto\/cypherpunks\/may-crypto-manifesto.html (accessed 24 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr40-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/00335638409383686"},{"key":"bibr41-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Blogging as Social Action: A Genre Analysis of the Weblog","author":"Miller CR","year":"2004"},{"key":"bibr42-20539517221084587","volume-title":"To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism","author":"Morozov E","year":"2013"},{"key":"bibr43-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Nakamoto S (2008) Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Available at: https:\/\/bitcoin.org\/bitcoin.pdf."},{"key":"bibr44-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203953365"},{"key":"bibr45-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Ongweso E Jr (2022) SpiceDAO Roasted for Spending $3.8 Million on Jodorowsky\u2019s \u2018Dune\u2019 Book. In: Vice. Available at: https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/xgda4a\/spicedao-roasted-for-spending-dollar38-million-on-jodorowskys-dune-book (accessed 4 February 2022)."},{"key":"bibr46-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Pearson J (2021) ConstitutionDAO Is Shutting Down After Unrelenting Chaos. In: Vice. Available at: https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/bvnze5\/constitutiondao-is-shutting-down-after-unrelenting-chaos (accessed 4 February 2022)."},{"key":"bibr47-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Rea A (2017) The Colony Whitepaper. Available at: https:\/\/blog.colony.io\/the-colony-whitepaper-502a7b5722b2\/ (accessed 6 November 2020)."},{"key":"bibr48-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Rea A, Kronovet D, Fischer A, et al. (2020) Colony: Technical Whitepaper. Available at: https:\/\/colony.io\/whitepaper.pdf (accessed 24 April 2020)."},{"issue":"57","key":"bibr49-20539517221084587","first-page":"78","author":"Rheingold H","year":"1987","journal-title":"Whole Earth Review"},{"key":"bibr50-20539517221084587","volume-title":"The Semisovereign People; a Realist\u2019s View of Democracy in America","author":"Schattschneider EE","year":"1960","edition":"1"},{"key":"bibr51-20539517221084587","first-page":"263","volume":"166","author":"Sklaroff JM","year":"2017","journal-title":"University of Pennsylvania Law Review"},{"key":"bibr52-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Platform Capitalism","author":"Srnicek N","year":"2017"},{"key":"bibr53-20539517221084587","unstructured":"Troncoso S, Utratel AM (2019) Last Night A Distributed Cooperative Organization Saved My Life: A brief introduction to DisCOs | Hacker Noon. Available at: https:\/\/hackernoon.com\/last-night-a-distributed-cooperative-organization-saved-my-life-a-brief-introduction-to-discos-4u5cv2zmn (accessed 7 April 2020)."},{"key":"bibr54-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1057\/9780230299191"},{"key":"bibr55-20539517221084587","volume-title":"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism","author":"Weber M","year":"2012"},{"key":"bibr56-20539517221084587","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1145\/270858.270864"},{"key":"bibr57-20539517221084587","volume-title":"Writing Past Colonialism Series","author":"Wolfe P","year":"1999"}],"container-title":["Big Data &amp; Society"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517221084587","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1177\/20539517221084587","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1177\/20539517221084587","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,3]],"date-time":"2025-03-03T04:25:50Z","timestamp":1740975950000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/10.1177\/20539517221084587"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"references-count":56,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1177\/20539517221084587"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/20539517221084587","relation":{},"ISSN":["2053-9517","2053-9517"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2053-9517","type":"print"},{"value":"2053-9517","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2022,1]]},"article-number":"20539517221084587"}}