Networking by metaphors

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Networking by metaphors
Session Theorizing mediated spaces ICA Annual
Conference, Dresden, June 2006 Marianne van den
Boomen Marianne.vandenBoomen_at_let.uu.nl Institute
Media Re/presentation, Dep. New Media Digital
Culture University Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Where is my mail?

• Brand new permanent connection, just click go
• But no mail in the inbox

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There is the mail...

• Brand new permanent connection, just click go
• But no mail in the inbox
• Online? Cables, hardware?
• No, a matter of software configuration
• Missing link, hidden steps
• Small conceptual error
• Computer illiteracy? No, literacy!

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Analysis 1. icontology

• Inclination to take the icon literally, iconic
  metaphorical seduction
• The function of desktop icons reduction
  delegation
• Double faced sign
• Towards user signifying job, metaphor for result
• Towards machine executing job, indexical
  reference to code
• Substituting complex processes with an
  ontological state/result
• Representing ontological simplicity, depresenting
  complexity
• Icontology user friendlyness, at interface
  value

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Analysis 2. expected immediacy

• Expectation of immediate result
• One-click ideology and general cyber discourse
  (instant messaging, one click shopping, automatic
  updates, plug play etc)
• Software is supposed to represent that it works,
  while depresenting how it works
• Failure and rupture show implied labour of
  configuration and processing

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Analysis 3. transference transmediation

• Conceptual transference from work to home
  configuration
• Ubiquitous situations of transference
• standardized computer interfaces and operation
• network transferences transmediations
• content (copy, mail, downloading)
• modality (file -gt print, sound -gt files)
• format (Word -gt PDF, .wav -gt .mp3)
• Identical digital one-to-one copies? Only on the
  0-1 machine level, not on human readable level
• Interfaces transference/translation by
  analogical representations

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Metaphors in action

• Metaphorical transferences
• Metaphorical seduction, icontology
  depresentation
• Transmediation as cross-domain transfer
• Lakoff Johnson conceptual metaphor
• Cross-domain mapping from source to target
• TARGET-DOMAIN IS SOURCE-DOMAIN (time is money,
  argument is war)

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E-mail is postal mail

• SOURCE-DOMAIN
• POSTAL MAIL
• postbox
• letters, packets, junk
• sending, receiving
• opening, reading
• sorting, disposing
• delivery by postman
• postal distribution system

• TARGET-DOMAIN
• E-MAIL
• mail program
• messages
• push the send or get button
• click the message subject
• move to folder or delete
• mail server at provider
• connect to provider, fetch mail

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Material mediation metaphors

• Katherine Hayles' material metaphors
• connect not two concepts, but symbols/signs to
  material artifacts
• actually change things/states in the world
• The mailbox icon has a double reference
• conceptual, human readable (source/target-domain
  , understanding)
• material, machine readable (blackboxed digital
  machine domain, action)
• Digital domain software hardware
• no direct access for humans, but mediated
  conceptual, analogical translations represented
  on the interface
• analogical translations of digital patterns are
  apertures in the blackbox

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Discourse metaphors

• Discourse of instant immediacy
• Discourse metaphors do not directly provoke
  material changes but might do so indirectly, by
  framing collective thought, articulation and
  action
• Michael Reddy's 'conduit metaphor'
• THOUGHTS ARE OBJECTS ('I gave you that idea')
• MESSAGES ARE CONTAINERS ('This letter is full
  of insults')
• COMMUNICATION IS SENDING ('His ideas came
  through')

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The toolmakers metaphor

• Michael Reddy's 'toolmakers paradigm'
• THOUGHTS ARE TOOLS
• MESSAGES ARE TRANSLATIONS
• COMMUNICATION IS LABOUR
• Conceptual material discourse metaphors
• beyond the mind the screen
• material metaphors open up the digital black
  box
• discourse metaphors open up the social and
  political blackbox
• the politics of metaphor negotiation
  controversy