Invocational Media

Invocational Media Why the Digital Computer is

Dead

Chris Chesher?

• Digital as a term is obsolete as analogue computers don’t “exist”

• Computers were people on the bottom rung with monotonous jobs

• Modern electronic computers have moved beyond this

• Ancient idea of magically summoning something after uttering a properly formed command

• For example...

• Invocational device performs a single function at the users command eg. light switch

• Invocational media combines command and memory and can invoke programmed sequences

• This means more power but at the trade off for less understanding of how commands happen.

• Also leads to avocation: straying from tasks to learn new media devices eg. learning new software.

• Chris relies on Vygotskiian notion on speech influencing language

• The nature of invocation is inherently broad

• Does replacing the term “computer” with the word “Invocational media” stray that far from Chris’ original criticism?

Chester, Chris Why the Digital Computer is Dead, 4/4/2002.Accessed via: http://www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=334

Ales, Mikolas Rabi Loew and Golem, 1899.Accessed via: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Golem_and_Loew.jpg

You’ve been great.