• Apocryphal media: an archaeology of mediated paranormal presence

    Author(s):
    Matt Bernico (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Subject(s):
    Mass media--Study and teaching, Archaeology
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Media archaeology, Media studies
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M60863533
    Abstract:
    Technology does not just encompass tools for humans to master and use, but also cultural objects that play a role in one’s imagination of what is possible. Apocryphal media is a new taxonomic category within Media Archaeology that helps understand the impossible demands and expectations a user might make of a technology. Briefly, Apocryphal media are devices for which there exists an incongruity between the effects one expects the device to produce and what it actually produces. For example, there is an expectation that an electromagnetic field (EMF) reader can detect paranormal entities, but in fact, through the study of the discursive object, it only produces the effect of detecting paranormal entities. Starting with the most spectacular examples, this essay investigates the discursive structures surrounding the tools of paranormal investigation and the discourse surrounding their impossible effects.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Pub. DOI:
    http://doi.org/10.7238/a.v0i21.3174
    Publisher:
    Fundacio per la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya
    Pub. Date:
    2018-9-3
    Journal:
    Artnodes, Media Archaeology
    Issue:
    21
    ISSN:
    1695-5951
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    5 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

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