Bristol University Press
1 Introducing 1000 Platforms
Abstract
This chapter introduces the concept of platforms as intricate arrangements called “ensembles” that are deeply embedded in the world. It argues against a simplistic understanding of platforms as abstract configurations defined by verticality and flatness. Instead, the book uses six distinct “attachment-figures”—coastal rock platforms, a Venetian funerary monument, Euclid’s geometrical figures, banded iron formations, music stages, and high-diving platforms—to demonstrate the ensemble character of platforms. Through these figures, it examines various aspects of platforms, including their boundaries, data accumulation processes, grounding in specific locations, closures, and embodiment in physical devices. The chapter shows how platform ensembles operate as interconnected networks of coding practices, data structures, material components, and human actions. The introduction highlights a persistent tension within platforms, where the polished interfaces and idealized representations often conceal the intricate labor, power dynamics, and environmental impacts ingrained within them. It introduces an approach called “experimental ontology,” urging direct engagement with diverse attachments to these arrangements. This method aims to move beyond simplistic understandings of platforms and cultivate a more nuanced and grounded understanding of their multifaceted nature.
Abstract
This chapter introduces the concept of platforms as intricate arrangements called “ensembles” that are deeply embedded in the world. It argues against a simplistic understanding of platforms as abstract configurations defined by verticality and flatness. Instead, the book uses six distinct “attachment-figures”—coastal rock platforms, a Venetian funerary monument, Euclid’s geometrical figures, banded iron formations, music stages, and high-diving platforms—to demonstrate the ensemble character of platforms. Through these figures, it examines various aspects of platforms, including their boundaries, data accumulation processes, grounding in specific locations, closures, and embodiment in physical devices. The chapter shows how platform ensembles operate as interconnected networks of coding practices, data structures, material components, and human actions. The introduction highlights a persistent tension within platforms, where the polished interfaces and idealized representations often conceal the intricate labor, power dynamics, and environmental impacts ingrained within them. It introduces an approach called “experimental ontology,” urging direct engagement with diverse attachments to these arrangements. This method aims to move beyond simplistic understandings of platforms and cultivate a more nuanced and grounded understanding of their multifaceted nature.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- Series Editors’ Preface viii
- List of Figures and Tables x
- Preface xi
- Introducing 1000 Platforms 1
- Life along Edges: Coastlines and Reefs 18
- Edging: From Terminals to Interfaces 20
- Platform Urbanites: The Doge Pesaro 39
- Shading: Images and Their Associations 42
- Container Figures 68
- Hashing Many Containers 71
- Banded Iron Formations 89
- Embedding and Embodying 92
- Being on Stage 111
- Closures and Their Stagings 114
- A High-Diving Platform 134
- Alignments and Earth 137
- Implications 158
- References 166
- Index 178
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- Series Editors’ Preface viii
- List of Figures and Tables x
- Preface xi
- Introducing 1000 Platforms 1
- Life along Edges: Coastlines and Reefs 18
- Edging: From Terminals to Interfaces 20
- Platform Urbanites: The Doge Pesaro 39
- Shading: Images and Their Associations 42
- Container Figures 68
- Hashing Many Containers 71
- Banded Iron Formations 89
- Embedding and Embodying 92
- Being on Stage 111
- Closures and Their Stagings 114
- A High-Diving Platform 134
- Alignments and Earth 137
- Implications 158
- References 166
- Index 178
