Indexicality

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Indexicality metaphor
The Ethics and Politics of Virtuality and
Indexicality Bradford, 1 July 2005 Marianne van
den Boomen Institute Media Re/presentation Unive
rsity Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Indexicality metaphor

• Metaphors in daily Internet practice
• Materialist semiotics
• Connections between
• concepts artifacts
• signs events
• code matter

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Where is my mail?

• Brand new permanent connection, just click go
• But no mail in the inbox
• Online? Cables, hardware? No, software
• No need to connect first, cf. configuration at
  work

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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, software
• No need to connect first, cf. configuration at
  work
• 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 sedution
• 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
• Replacing complex processes by an ontological
  state, place or thing
• Representing ontological simplicity, depresenting
  complexity
• Icontology at interface value

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Analysis 2. expected immediacy

• Expectation of immediate result
• Default and touchstone for any mediation
• One-click ideology and discourse (instant
  updates, plug play etc)
• Historical frames and future dreams,
  interfaceless computing
• Default dream of immediacy, icontological slumber
• Failure and rupture shows 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
• standardised computer interfaces and operation
• network transferences transmediations
• content (copy, mail, downloading)
• modality (file -gt print, live -gt webcam, sound -gt
  files)
• format (Word -gt PDF, .wav -gt .mp3)
• Identical digital identical one-to-one
  transference? Only on the 0-1 machine level, not
  on human readable interface
• Transference by analogical representation and
  metaphor

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Metaphors in action

• Metaphorical transferences
• Visual representations
• Metaphorical seduction, icontology
  depresentation
• Transmediation as cross-domain transfer
• Lakoff Johnson conceptual metaphor
• Cross-domain mapping
• Target-domain is source-domain

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Target-domain is source-domain

• 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 metaphor

• Katherine Hayles materality of text, mediation
  code
• Material metaphor connection between symbols and
  material artifacts
• Mailbox icon, with double reference
• Conceptual (source/target-domain, understanding)
• Material (blackboxed events-domain, action)
• Digital events-domain software hardware
• No direct access for the user, but mediated
  different conceptual, analogical translations
  represented on an interface

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Levels of signification

• C.S. Peirce eventhood and thinghood of the sign
• Classification based on relation between sign and
  object
• icon (resemblance)
• Index (existential causation or proximity)
• symbol (arbitrary, conventional)
• Are desktop icons Peircian icons?
• Appearance mailbox icon, telephone index,
  browser symbol
• Action all indexical, since invoking machine
  processes
• Total signification all symbolical, since
  arbitrary and conventionally coded, both for user
  and machine

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Levels of material indexicality

• Peirces classification of signs more
  trichotomies of levels
• Desktop icons dicent (factual) legisign
  (expression of a general rule) in the form of
  icon, index or symbol
• Signifieds can become new signifiers (signs),
  involving new objects and signifieds
  (interpretants)
• Virtual indexicality and executing indexicality
• However, no loss of indexicality by digitisation!