An introduction to the concept of 'technoculture', a term that conjoins concepts that are often conventionally separated in Western thought. This year the lecture uses Twitter as a case study of a technology that in inextricably bound in culture. Chris Chesher, Digital Cultures, March 12 2009

1. What is technoculture?
Week 2–3 ARIN2600 Technocultures
Semester 1, 2009
Chris Chesher
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2. Techno-
• Technology
• craftsmanship + reckoning
• technique + word
• techne: uncovering (Heidegger)
• tools, machines, materials and processes
• technological determinism or social
construction? (are those the only choices?)
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3. -culture
• Cultivation
• Culture and Civilisation
• Issues in culture:
• cultural differences / diversity
• material culture (artefacts)
• popular cultures
• cultural studies
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4. Age Nationality
Texts Beliefs
CULTURE
Subjectivity
Values
Politics Ethnicity
Images
Identity
Artefacts Sexuality
Gender
Meanings Practices Class Institutions
Professions
Ritual
TECHNOLOGY
tools inputs state of the art
machines outputs standards
materials interfaces techniques
processes waste training
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5. Technocultures
Case Study
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6. Thursday, 12 March 2009 6

7. twitter features
twitstreams
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8. Technological? Cultural?
protocols; codes;
XML
writing; news
link; reference;
URL
connection
ownership; control;
clients / servers
sharing
connection; mash-ups;
API
open systems
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9. rocket boom
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhAAu8hNP0w
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14. Technocultural tropes
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15. Techno-perception
• Reveal the imperceptible
• distant things (telescope; GPS)
• small things (microscope)
• outside sensory range (infrared)
• outside real time (high speed cameras)
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16. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-TcBnfE6qU
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17. Techno-relationships
• Interpersonal communication
• mobile phone
• voice, text, GPS, bluetooth
• contact lists, organiser, etc
• email & messaging chat
• MySpace / facebook social
software
• personal profiles
http://www.soft3k.com/imgs/SmileySaver-Screensaver-w300-10327.jpg
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18. Techno-institutions
• Regulators: Parliament; ABA
• Broadcasting Services Amendment
(Online Services) Bill 1999
• Industry bodies
• Internet Industry Association
• AIMIA (Interactive Media)
• Game Developers Assoc. of Australia
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19. Techno-imaginary
• Anxieties about technology out of control:
• privacy
• competency and redundancy
• Exuberance at possibilities
• technology as a panacea
• economic benefits (dot com boom)
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20. Animatrix (2003)
• ‘The second renaissance’ presents an
almost biblical back-story to the Matrix
series. First there was man and it was
good; but man became corrupted. Man
created technology, and it was good for a
while...
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21. Animatrix Village Roadshow Films (2003) Warner Brothers Home Video
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22. Techno-ethics
• Moral panics
• computer games: violence; time-wasting
• mobile phone health scares
• driving & mobiles
• Government regulation: content; codes of
practice; children’s use of Internet
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23. Techno-work
New work practices
call centres; HTML slaves
New business models
Consumer rights
Work organisation
(Zuboff: informating)
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24. About this unit of study
Technocultures 2009
Digital Cultures program
Chris Chesher & Kathy Cleland
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25. Lectures
• (you’re at one now)
• Thursdays 10am McRae Room S418
• Lectures relate to next Monday’s tutorials
• I’ve split the lectures from tutorials to
give you time to read the readings with
some context
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26. Tutorials
• Kathy Cleland and Chris Chesher
• All currently in Transient 170-171
• 10am-12pm Monday CC 170/1 Transient
• 11am-1pm Monday KC CR109 Brennan
• 1pm-3pm Monday CC CR109 Brennan
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27. Assessment
10 minutes +
1. Web / presentation 25%
500 words
2. Analyse influences on &
1500 words 25%
influence of a reading
3. Technoculture essay 2000 words 30%
4. Participation online & offline continuous 20%
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28. Get online
• moodle.arts.usyd.edu.au (no www)
• create an account (confirm by email)
• username and password you’ll remember
• Use initial caps for your First Name and
Last Name:
• eg. Chris Chesher NOT chris chesher
• enter enrolment keys:
• 10am donna; 1pm bruno; 3pm felix
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29. What is on moodle?
• All core unit of study information
• Weekly summary of topics
• Some lecture slides downloadable
afterwards
• Links to relevant online resources
• Activities: wikis, forums, glossary, chat, etc
• Submit some assignments
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30. Readings
McCarthy, John and Peter Wright (2004)
‘Living with technology’ in Technology as
experience, Cambridge and London: The MIT
Press. pp 1-22.
Chun, Wendy H. K. (2006). Control and
freedom: power and paranoia in the age of fiber
optics. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
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31. Next week: McLuhan
• ‘The medium is the message’
• communication technology and cognition
• sense ratios visual > oral/aural
• Hot and Cool media
• Allatonceness
• creating probes
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