Complexity, Digital Media And Post Truth Politics: A Theory Of Interactive Systems

Description

This book analyses the relationship between digital media systems and post truth politics. It demonstrates that the complexity of modern systems is an existential challenge for our ability to understand and research these issues. A new theory is proposed for studying complexity, explaining how system interactionism differs from established ideas, including assemblage and actor network theories. After considering the social system of Niklas Luhmann, the author proposes an interactionist methodology better equipped to deal with system complexity. A description of the logical operations of the digital and political systems is provided, establishing precedents for an analysis of the role of hypertext in shaping the emergent digital-politics. The book demonstrates how the principles of system interactionism can guide digital media research into polarisation and political language. Contents......Page 5 List of Figures......Page 6 Chapter 1: Why Does Nobody Know Anything Anymore?......Page 7 A Crisis of Trust......Page 15 Is It New, Though, and If It Is New, Why Is It Happening Now?......Page 17 MAGA-Worlds and Hyperreality......Page 19 Is Technology a Good or Bad for Being Human in Context B?......Page 23 References......Page 31 Chapter 2: The Complexity Problem......Page 34 An Introduction to Complexity......Page 35 The Structure of This Book......Page 39 Post Meaningful Media......Page 48 The Meaning of Words......Page 50 References......Page 54 Chapter 3: A Systems Theory of Social Reality......Page 56 Assemblages......Page 68 Actor Networks......Page 71 References......Page 79 Chapter 4: How Do Systems Work? Differentiation and Communication......Page 81 Difference......Page 86 Differentiation and Self-reference......Page 88 Functional Differentiation......Page 93 Communication......Page 95 Same but Different......Page 99 References......Page 106 Chapter 5: Finding Perspective......Page 109 Interaction Filtration......Page 111 Perspective......Page 116 Time......Page 119 Relative Differentiation in the Interaction Field......Page 125 A Temporal, Perspectival, Empirical Methodology......Page 130 References......Page 135 Chapter 6: Autobots Assemble......Page 136 A Working Theory of Technology......Page 137 The Search for a Logical Definition......Page 140 Logical Precedents......Page 146 Technology In Vivo......Page 149 Confusion and Logical Webs......Page 152 Affordances and Affects......Page 156 From Social Media Logics to Logical Media Systems......Page 160 References......Page 164 Chapter 7: The Political Public......Page 168 If Politics Were Simple: The Deliberative Utopia......Page 171 Messy, Complicated Politics......Page 174 Not Deliberative, Not Gentle......Page 177 Extreme Mediatisation......Page 180 Logical Inequivalence......Page 187 References......Page 192 Chapter 8: Hypertext Reality......Page 196 Where Do Systems Interact?......Page 198 Hypertext......Page 201 Hypertextual Logic......Page 205 Hypertext and Capital......Page 209 The Political Hashtag......Page 211 References......Page 219 Chapter 9: Principles of an Interactionist Methodology......Page 221 A Question of Empirical Principles......Page 223 Questions of Perspective......Page 226 An API Is a Multiplicity of Different Perspectives, Not All of Which Will Be Realised......Page 227 Making Sense from Multiple Perspectives......Page 231 The Temporal Denominator......Page 234 Temporal Sequencing and Assemblage......Page 241 Agency and Assemblage......Page 244 References......Page 246 Index......Page 249