Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research
In recent years, media studies and internet studies have paid increasing attention to the concept of infrastructure, and to the related concept of distribution. In this chapter I discuss some of the benefits for media and internet research brought about by the turns to infrastructure and distributio...
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| Formaat: | Online |
| Taal: | Engels |
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Taylor & Francis
2021
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| Online toegang: | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/50859 |
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| _version_ | 1869525741114228736 |
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| author | Hesmondhalgh, David |
| author_browse | Hesmondhalgh, David |
| author_facet | Hesmondhalgh, David |
| author_sort | Hesmondhalgh, David |
| collection | Directory of Open Access Books |
| description | In recent years, media studies and internet studies have paid increasing attention to the concept of infrastructure, and to the related concept of distribution. In this chapter I discuss some of the benefits for media and internet research brought about by the turns to infrastructure and distribution, notably a welcome concern with the mundanity and ordinariness of existing systems rather than optimistic speculation about future impacts, and an invigorating interest in questions of representation and meaning in relation to often taken-for-granted technologies. But I also discuss some of the problems surrounding the infrastructural turn in media and internet research: a tendency to use the term “infrastructure” in such a variety of ways that it risks losing its analytical value; an uncertain engagement with ideas of materiality and “relationality”; and a tendency towards banality and vagueness (including dubious defenses of vagueness itself). I close by reflecting on how the problems identified seem to have led to a neglect of other traditions of research, such as political economy of media, that might provide insights into the workings of media infrastructures as traditionally understood, but in a call for synthesis, I also point to those other traditions have also failed to pay due attention to the best contributions of recent media infrastructural studies. |
| format | Online |
| id | doab-20.500.12854ir-72164 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Books |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| publisherStr | Taylor & Francis |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | doab-20.500.12854ir-721642025-08-13T14:11:14Z Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research Hesmondhalgh, David companion, industries, media industries, production studies, global media studies, international screen studies, critical political economy thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies In recent years, media studies and internet studies have paid increasing attention to the concept of infrastructure, and to the related concept of distribution. In this chapter I discuss some of the benefits for media and internet research brought about by the turns to infrastructure and distribution, notably a welcome concern with the mundanity and ordinariness of existing systems rather than optimistic speculation about future impacts, and an invigorating interest in questions of representation and meaning in relation to often taken-for-granted technologies. But I also discuss some of the problems surrounding the infrastructural turn in media and internet research: a tendency to use the term “infrastructure” in such a variety of ways that it risks losing its analytical value; an uncertain engagement with ideas of materiality and “relationality”; and a tendency towards banality and vagueness (including dubious defenses of vagueness itself). I close by reflecting on how the problems identified seem to have led to a neglect of other traditions of research, such as political economy of media, that might provide insights into the workings of media infrastructures as traditionally understood, but in a call for synthesis, I also point to those other traditions have also failed to pay due attention to the best contributions of recent media infrastructural studies. 2021-10-08T04:02:25Z 2021-10-08T04:02:25Z 2021-10-07T10:28:12Z 2021 chapter https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/50859 9780367225261 9781032065342 https://directory.doabooks.org/handle/20.500.12854/72164 eng open access image/jpeg image/jpeg Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/50859/1/9780429275340_10.4324_9780429275340-13.pdf https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/20.500.12657/50859/1/9780429275340_10.4324_9780429275340-13.pdf Taylor & Francis Routledge 10.4324/ 9780429275340-13 10.4324/ 9780429275340-13 fa69b019-f4ee-4979-8d42-c6b6c476b5f0 The Routledge Companion to Media Industries University of Leeds 70bd35fa-d6aa-411b-8104-54546556d19b 9780367225261 9781032065342 Routledge 12 open access |
| spellingShingle | companion, industries, media industries, production studies, global media studies, international screen studies, critical political economy thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies Hesmondhalgh, David Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research |
| title | Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research |
| title_full | Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research |
| title_fullStr | Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research |
| title_short | Chapter 10 The Infrastructural turn in Media and Internet Research |
| title_sort | chapter 10 the infrastructural turn in media and internet research |
| topic | companion, industries, media industries, production studies, global media studies, international screen studies, critical political economy thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies |
| topic_facet | companion, industries, media industries, production studies, global media studies, international screen studies, critical political economy thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies thema EDItEUR::J Society and Social Sciences::JB Society and culture: general::JBC Cultural and media studies::JBCT Media studies |
| url | https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/50859 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hesmondhalghdavid chapter10theinfrastructuralturninmediaandinternetresearch |