Startseite Kulturwissenschaften 13 Digital Ontology
Kapitel
Lizenziert
Nicht lizenziert Erfordert eine Authentifizierung

13 Digital Ontology

  • Sungyong Ahn
Veröffentlichen auch Sie bei De Gruyter Brill
Erkunden Sie dieses Fachgebiet So veröffentlichen Sie bei uns
De Gruyter Handbook of Digital Cultures
Ein Kapitel aus dem Buch De Gruyter Handbook of Digital Cultures

Abstract

This chapter proposes digital ontology as a critical methodology for examining contemporary software industries. While last century’s ideological criticism confined ontology to either how we model our world as Kantian subjects or how we speculate about the world’s existence beyond our transcendental limits, this chapter reframes these epistemic agents as assemblages of digital or biological sensors, processors, and actuators, as both humans and computers are composed of these elements embedded in material worlds. In this new framework, knowing is no longer the consequence of an agent’s interaction with the world but rather an ontological event in which the material continuum of the world folds into two parts: acting on itself and responding to itself, around the cuts made by these machinic elements. As a new materialist critique, digital ontology examines how current capitalist realism reminds us of our being-(embedded-)in-the-world—not to make us misrecognize our real condition, but to normalize our speculation about unknown risks and opportunities, which are ungraspable by our too-human sensors-processors-actuators yet constantly re-graspable through the digital.

Abstract

This chapter proposes digital ontology as a critical methodology for examining contemporary software industries. While last century’s ideological criticism confined ontology to either how we model our world as Kantian subjects or how we speculate about the world’s existence beyond our transcendental limits, this chapter reframes these epistemic agents as assemblages of digital or biological sensors, processors, and actuators, as both humans and computers are composed of these elements embedded in material worlds. In this new framework, knowing is no longer the consequence of an agent’s interaction with the world but rather an ontological event in which the material continuum of the world folds into two parts: acting on itself and responding to itself, around the cuts made by these machinic elements. As a new materialist critique, digital ontology examines how current capitalist realism reminds us of our being-(embedded-)in-the-world—not to make us misrecognize our real condition, but to normalize our speculation about unknown risks and opportunities, which are ungraspable by our too-human sensors-processors-actuators yet constantly re-graspable through the digital.

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. 1 Introduction: What Are Digital Cultures? 1
  4. Part I Methods and Approaches
  5. 2 On Methods 11
  6. 3 Digital Textuality 17
  7. 4 The Political Economy of Digital Media 23
  8. 5 Media Archaeology and Media Genealogy 33
  9. 6 Digital Ethnography 43
  10. 7 Prescriptive Media and Autoethnographies of the Self 61
  11. 8 Hybrid Space Revisited 75
  12. 9 Software Studies 83
  13. 10 Computer Programming as a Method for the Study of Digital Cultures 89
  14. 11 Decolonial Media Studies 97
  15. 12 Repair 115
  16. 13 Digital Ontology 123
  17. 14 Analyzing Digital Media Practices to Define Digital Media Literacy 133
  18. Part II Histories
  19. 15 History and Digital Cultures 145
  20. 16 Lessons from the Hologram 151
  21. 17 Information Theory and its Detractors 161
  22. 18 Interface 171
  23. 19 Barcodes and Digital/Physical Hybrids 181
  24. 20 Sharing 189
  25. 21 Advertising and Branding 197
  26. 22 Automation and Inequality 211
  27. Part III Identities
  28. 23 Digital Identities 225
  29. 24 Digital Culture and Race 235
  30. 25 The Digital Closet and Queer Community Online 245
  31. 26 Tactical Queer Identity in China 255
  32. 27 Rurality, Gender, and Short-Video Platforms in China 263
  33. 28 Digital Nomads 277
  34. 29 Boundaries of Digital Infrastructures in India 285
  35. 30 Sensual Ethos and Digital Intimacies in Brazilian Camming 295
  36. 31 Embodiment and Representation in Social VR 305
  37. 32 The Manosphere 313
  38. 33 Digital Hate 323
  39. Part IV Aesthetics
  40. 34 Digital Aesthetics and Collective Judgment 333
  41. 35 Screens and Power 341
  42. 36 Framing Digital Culture 351
  43. 37 Beyond the Frame 361
  44. 38 The Weird Internet and Speculative Knowledge 371
  45. 39 The Weirdness of Generative AI 387
  46. 40 Supercuts 397
  47. 41 Futurisms Beyond Western Cultural Imaginaries 407
  48. 42 Color in Digital Culture 419
  49. Part V Materialities and Infrastructures
  50. 43 The Materiality of the Digital 429
  51. 44 The Logistical Episteme 439
  52. 45 Degrowth and Digital Culture 455
  53. 46 Digital Modeling and the Climate Crisis 467
  54. 47 Telehealth 477
  55. 48 The Culture and Cultures of Twitch 483
  56. 49 Edge Computing 491
  57. 50 Humanoid Robots 497
  58. Index
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783111316857-013

Kapitel in diesem Buch

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Contents V
  3. 1 Introduction: What Are Digital Cultures? 1
  4. Part I Methods and Approaches
  5. 2 On Methods 11
  6. 3 Digital Textuality 17
  7. 4 The Political Economy of Digital Media 23
  8. 5 Media Archaeology and Media Genealogy 33
  9. 6 Digital Ethnography 43
  10. 7 Prescriptive Media and Autoethnographies of the Self 61
  11. 8 Hybrid Space Revisited 75
  12. 9 Software Studies 83
  13. 10 Computer Programming as a Method for the Study of Digital Cultures 89
  14. 11 Decolonial Media Studies 97
  15. 12 Repair 115
  16. 13 Digital Ontology 123
  17. 14 Analyzing Digital Media Practices to Define Digital Media Literacy 133
  18. Part II Histories
  19. 15 History and Digital Cultures 145
  20. 16 Lessons from the Hologram 151
  21. 17 Information Theory and its Detractors 161
  22. 18 Interface 171
  23. 19 Barcodes and Digital/Physical Hybrids 181
  24. 20 Sharing 189
  25. 21 Advertising and Branding 197
  26. 22 Automation and Inequality 211
  27. Part III Identities
  28. 23 Digital Identities 225
  29. 24 Digital Culture and Race 235
  30. 25 The Digital Closet and Queer Community Online 245
  31. 26 Tactical Queer Identity in China 255
  32. 27 Rurality, Gender, and Short-Video Platforms in China 263
  33. 28 Digital Nomads 277
  34. 29 Boundaries of Digital Infrastructures in India 285
  35. 30 Sensual Ethos and Digital Intimacies in Brazilian Camming 295
  36. 31 Embodiment and Representation in Social VR 305
  37. 32 The Manosphere 313
  38. 33 Digital Hate 323
  39. Part IV Aesthetics
  40. 34 Digital Aesthetics and Collective Judgment 333
  41. 35 Screens and Power 341
  42. 36 Framing Digital Culture 351
  43. 37 Beyond the Frame 361
  44. 38 The Weird Internet and Speculative Knowledge 371
  45. 39 The Weirdness of Generative AI 387
  46. 40 Supercuts 397
  47. 41 Futurisms Beyond Western Cultural Imaginaries 407
  48. 42 Color in Digital Culture 419
  49. Part V Materialities and Infrastructures
  50. 43 The Materiality of the Digital 429
  51. 44 The Logistical Episteme 439
  52. 45 Degrowth and Digital Culture 455
  53. 46 Digital Modeling and the Climate Crisis 467
  54. 47 Telehealth 477
  55. 48 The Culture and Cultures of Twitch 483
  56. 49 Edge Computing 491
  57. 50 Humanoid Robots 497
  58. Index
Jetzt anmelden und 20% sparen
Institutioneller Zugang
Wie funktioniert Authentifizierung?
Haben Sie eine Idee, wie wir unsere Website verbessern können?
Bitte schreiben Sie uns.
© 2025 De Gruyter Brill
Heruntergeladen am 22.9.2025 von https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783111316857-013/html
Button zum nach oben scrollen