Critical Media Studies

Barry and Mike discuss Jonathan Crary’s critique of the “internet complex” and what it means.

Barry and Mike discuss Siegfried Kracauer's 1926 essay "Cult of Distraction: On Berlin's Picture Palaces." Written nearly 100 years ago, the essay is strangely relevant to our current political landscape. We pay special attention to Kracauer's unique notion of distraction, which contra Stiegler, Kracauer views as a stimulus to thought.

Barry and Mike discuss Yanis Varoufakis' book, Technofeudalism: What Killed Capitalism, and the challenge it presents to Marxist theories about global capital.

In this episode Barry and Mike relate Evgeny Morozov’s 2013 New Yorker essay, “Only Disconnect” to their previous discussion of A. Romero’s meditation on boredom and distraction and the internet.   

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss “The Most Important Skill in the 21st Century,” Alberto Romero’s polemical defense of boredom in the media entertainment age. They discuss whether it’s possible to be bored today in the way that Romero seems to require.

In this episode Barry and Mike return to the earlier discussion of  Sherry Turkle’s “Alone Together” and question her conclusion regarding the human/robotic distinction in light of PKD’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

In this episode Barry and Mike discuss Sherry Turkle’s “Alone Together” and her thesis, that though technology opens new possibilities for communication it simultaneously alienates us from each other, leaving us wanting for emotional connections.  We wonder whether Turkle is right and whether authentic relationships are possible. 

In this episode Barry and Mike resume their discussion of Kazuo Ishiguro’s “Klara and the Sun.”  They discuss how differences in class and education determine how the various characters relation to Kara as an embodiment of technology.

Barry and Mike analyze Ishiguro's 'Klara and the Sun', exploring human-technological relationships, Clara's programmed interest in human emotions, unveiling darker aspects in an idyllic world, contrasting socio-economic backgrounds, and Clara's humanity and observant nature.

In this episode Barry and Mike wrap up their discussion of Marshall McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects,” focusing on the question of education and media.