Berlin, Febuary 4, 2017, http://transmediale.de
This session was dedicated to the “others” that help to mediate between humans and the “real” whatever that is: Non-human agents that could emerge in the form of algorithms, but also technological layers, and, actually, anything. Even a stone could be an actor, if we go by the new materialism claims. The idea that all relations are mutual is intriguing. Somehow it resonates with physics, particle theory etc. The panelists (I think it was Pasquinelli) expressed the hope that defining agency in such broader terms could be a way to prevent, somehow, the increased polarization of politics between opposing interest groups. It was all somehow theoretical, the standpoint were undefined, many ideas were flying around, but somehow not too much remained in my brain afterwards. Maybe that is the future, a multitude in a never-ending blablabla discussion. Or is that just the present state of media studies academia?
