MTS key concept summaries &
examples
1. Media-Nature
Key concepts
Inscription/de-scription
Program/Anti-Program
Assemblage/dispositif
Actant
Ecomedia/Media Matrix
Mesocosm
Intertextuality
Perceptual Semiosis (Materiality of Perception)
Technologies of World-Building
2. Image & Infrastructure
key concepts
Sociotechnical Ecologies
Haptic/Hapticality
Hauntology
Souveillance
Logistical Media/Capitalism/City
Logistical Imagination
Logistical Image
Para-site
Para-sight
3. Publics, Counterpublics, Commons
guiding questions
key concepts
Public Sphere
Networked Counter-publics
Affordances
Technologies of Publicity
Digital and Data Commons
Communicative Capitalism
Secondary Visuality
4. Mediating Now
key concepts
Sociotechnical Processes
Flow
Real-time
Technology and Cultural Form
Post-modern Condition
Pastiche
MTS key concept summaries & examples 1
, Pace/Rhythm
Technicity
5. Attention
guiding questions
key concepts
24/7
Attention Economy
Distraction
Pharmakon
Gamification
Currency
Gig Economy
Ghost Work
Visibility Labour
Sleep
Slow Cinema
6. Geo-media
key concepts
Intra-action
Diagram/Graphematics/Para-metrics
Correlation
Media Archaeology
Zombie Media
Perspectivism/Ecology of Knowledges
Co-emergence/Co-constitution
Animism (Predatory, Machine, Hyper-)
1. Media-Nature
Key concepts
Inscription/de-scription
Definition: The process of marking a medium with information (inscription) and the
analysis or interpretation of that information (de-scription).
Authors: Rooted in semiotics and actor-network theory, related to authors like Bruno
Latour.
Explanation: Inscription involves encoding or embedding information into a medium,
making it readable or interpretable. De-scription, on the other hand, is the act of
reading, interpreting, or decoding that information. It's about how meanings are
constructed and understood from media.
Real World Example: A QR code placed on a restaurant table (inscription). Scanning
the QR code with a smartphone to access the menu (de-scription).
MTS key concept summaries & examples 2
, Program/Anti-Program
Definition: A dichotomy where "program" refers to the designed purpose of an
object or system, and "anti-program" to its unintended or subversive uses.
Authors: Michel Callon and Bruno Latour, within the framework of actor-network
theory.
Explanation: This concept examines the inherent tension between the intended
functions of objects, systems, or technologies (programs) and their actual use in
ways that deviate from these intentions (anti-programs), reflecting the complex
interplay between design, use, and societal impact.
Real World Example: Social media platforms are programmed for connectivity and
sharing. However, they can also host anti-programmatic activities like misinformation
dissemination and cyberbullying, showcasing the dual potentials of digital platforms.
Assemblage/dispositif
Definition: An assemblage is a collection of heterogeneous elements that function
together as a whole. Dispositif (or apparatus) refers to a network or system that
establishes relations between these elements.
Authors: Gilles Deleuze and Michel Foucault.
Explanation: Assemblage focuses on the elements and their relationships within a
system, emphasizing the fluid and contingent nature of configurations. Dispositif
refers to the broader strategic function and structure that governs these elements.
Real World Example: A smartphone as an assemblage of hardware and software
components. The ecosystem of app stores, operating systems, and user data
policies as the dispositif that organizes and regulates the user experience.
Actant
Definition: An entity that acts or can act in a network of relationships, affecting
change.
Authors: Bruno Latour in actor-network theory.
Explanation: Actants can be both human and non-human entities. The concept
emphasizes the capacity of all entities to influence the dynamics and outcomes
within a network.
Real World Example: In the context of online learning, both the student (human
actant) and the learning management system (non-human actant) are crucial in the
educational process.
Ecomedia/Media Matrix
MTS key concept summaries & examples 3
examples
1. Media-Nature
Key concepts
Inscription/de-scription
Program/Anti-Program
Assemblage/dispositif
Actant
Ecomedia/Media Matrix
Mesocosm
Intertextuality
Perceptual Semiosis (Materiality of Perception)
Technologies of World-Building
2. Image & Infrastructure
key concepts
Sociotechnical Ecologies
Haptic/Hapticality
Hauntology
Souveillance
Logistical Media/Capitalism/City
Logistical Imagination
Logistical Image
Para-site
Para-sight
3. Publics, Counterpublics, Commons
guiding questions
key concepts
Public Sphere
Networked Counter-publics
Affordances
Technologies of Publicity
Digital and Data Commons
Communicative Capitalism
Secondary Visuality
4. Mediating Now
key concepts
Sociotechnical Processes
Flow
Real-time
Technology and Cultural Form
Post-modern Condition
Pastiche
MTS key concept summaries & examples 1
, Pace/Rhythm
Technicity
5. Attention
guiding questions
key concepts
24/7
Attention Economy
Distraction
Pharmakon
Gamification
Currency
Gig Economy
Ghost Work
Visibility Labour
Sleep
Slow Cinema
6. Geo-media
key concepts
Intra-action
Diagram/Graphematics/Para-metrics
Correlation
Media Archaeology
Zombie Media
Perspectivism/Ecology of Knowledges
Co-emergence/Co-constitution
Animism (Predatory, Machine, Hyper-)
1. Media-Nature
Key concepts
Inscription/de-scription
Definition: The process of marking a medium with information (inscription) and the
analysis or interpretation of that information (de-scription).
Authors: Rooted in semiotics and actor-network theory, related to authors like Bruno
Latour.
Explanation: Inscription involves encoding or embedding information into a medium,
making it readable or interpretable. De-scription, on the other hand, is the act of
reading, interpreting, or decoding that information. It's about how meanings are
constructed and understood from media.
Real World Example: A QR code placed on a restaurant table (inscription). Scanning
the QR code with a smartphone to access the menu (de-scription).
MTS key concept summaries & examples 2
, Program/Anti-Program
Definition: A dichotomy where "program" refers to the designed purpose of an
object or system, and "anti-program" to its unintended or subversive uses.
Authors: Michel Callon and Bruno Latour, within the framework of actor-network
theory.
Explanation: This concept examines the inherent tension between the intended
functions of objects, systems, or technologies (programs) and their actual use in
ways that deviate from these intentions (anti-programs), reflecting the complex
interplay between design, use, and societal impact.
Real World Example: Social media platforms are programmed for connectivity and
sharing. However, they can also host anti-programmatic activities like misinformation
dissemination and cyberbullying, showcasing the dual potentials of digital platforms.
Assemblage/dispositif
Definition: An assemblage is a collection of heterogeneous elements that function
together as a whole. Dispositif (or apparatus) refers to a network or system that
establishes relations between these elements.
Authors: Gilles Deleuze and Michel Foucault.
Explanation: Assemblage focuses on the elements and their relationships within a
system, emphasizing the fluid and contingent nature of configurations. Dispositif
refers to the broader strategic function and structure that governs these elements.
Real World Example: A smartphone as an assemblage of hardware and software
components. The ecosystem of app stores, operating systems, and user data
policies as the dispositif that organizes and regulates the user experience.
Actant
Definition: An entity that acts or can act in a network of relationships, affecting
change.
Authors: Bruno Latour in actor-network theory.
Explanation: Actants can be both human and non-human entities. The concept
emphasizes the capacity of all entities to influence the dynamics and outcomes
within a network.
Real World Example: In the context of online learning, both the student (human
actant) and the learning management system (non-human actant) are crucial in the
educational process.
Ecomedia/Media Matrix
MTS key concept summaries & examples 3
