Rhizome Experiment, Fall 2015Main MenuPowerteam pageRhizome ConceptThe Virtual and The RealSelfTeam Overview Page & TagIntro to the Virtual SelfThe world of social media, avatars, and the brandscapeSimulation MachineDerived from the previous paper to make an introduction to AI, the advanced simulation machineArtificial IntelligenceRace and the Social MachineDrone PilotsFull Battle RattleTechnology and the Black ExperienceVideo GamesDwayne Dixon5129acc1d78d02bed532993adeb2cc39f7be6920
The Contextual Machine
12015-12-08T15:56:20-08:00Kevin Mellinc6bbb8b22406e725e89cecfb1fc0b4a2ca7393c872255plain2015-12-12T12:48:05-08:00Kevin Mellinc6bbb8b22406e725e89cecfb1fc0b4a2ca7393c8The power and function of a machine depends on its use in context. Through two accounts of the camera being used in disparate contexts, it is clear that power dynamics and contextual use influence a machine’s function. In Roslyn Poignant’s piece The Making of Professional “Savages,” Poignant examines the machine’s impact on cultural constructionism through recounting the circus production and cultural exploitation of indigenous Australians. Through advertising a circus attraction featuring indigenous Australians, those in control of the advertising content perpetuated the notion of the savage Other. Initially, drawings that represented racial stereotypes were used to attract visitors to the exhibition. This material was widely consumed and galvanized the dissemination of harmful representations while “[supplying] a legible code for works of satire and caricature and for the popular representations of the indigenous Other” (Poignant 68). The mass consumption of derogatory portrayals instilled a notion of white supremacy and indigenous inferiority. This notion was further established when the caricature representation of this culture shifted to photographic depictions. The pervasive social machine of that era facilitated the ideological production of the social reality that deemed nonwhite indigenous people as inferior. This conception was immortalized and subsequently mass consumed following the advent of photographing these “savages” in their “natural” state. Those in the position of power arranged the indigenous members of the display in a manner that aligned with the common conception of their existence, thus authenticating the “savage Other” narrative through image manipulation: “These textual and graphic representations [fixed] the savage stereotype” (74). The influence of power dynamics on the function of a machine, in this case the camera, is apparent from this example. Those in control of the machine can manipulate representations, and their position of power inherently awards the representations credibility. This resulted in a broad acceptance of an inaccurate depiction of the social reality established by the abstract machine: the creation of the savage “Other.” Another piece by Andrew L. Mendelson and Zizi Papacharissi demonstrates how the same machine can assume an entirely different role under differing circumstances. This piece examines the impact on identity, community and culture that posting photos to Facebook has. The power dynamic between the photographer and subjects is a peer relationship, which alters the resulting representation much differently than the aforementioned scenario. This study finds that there is a common narrative among college-aged Facebook users that is established through a series of photographic representations. Pictures of parties, drinking and socializing are prevalent contributions to the narrative that affirm sociability and establish common experience. This narrative is established through the cooperation of the photographer and the subject: “The photographer is most often known intimately by the subject, and both share an interest in making photographs that emphasize how people would like to be seen” (Mendelson and Papacharissi 7). There is a decided audience of consumers that influences the product; it is produced with the consumer in mind. In this case, the photographer and the photographed are working together to create a product that aligns with a preconceived vision meant to appeal to a predetermined set of consumers. This process and result is entirely different from the use of the same machine in the creation of the savage other; identical machines assumed entirely different roles based on its use in context. This shows the influence of power and social power on the abstract and physical machine. Briefly, the mp3 also undergoes a functional shift in identity when used in differing contexts. When consumed by an individual, it serves as a source of media consumption. When illegally shared, it is a criminal commodity. This example serves to illustrate a machine's simultaneous existence across all three machinic identities.