“This is Not a Book: Long Forms of Attention in the Digital Age,” a talk by Dr. Alan Liu of the University of California, Santa Barbara
Tuesday June 3, 11:00am-12:30pm
UCR INTS 1113
A common response to an electronic book or other digital media is that, while it may be better or worse than a book, “this is not a book.” But digital media has the uncanny effect of making us realize that physical books themselves were never truly books–if by “book” we mean a long form of attention designed for the permanent, standard, and authoritative communication of human thought or experience. This talk will outline methods for discovering and tracking socially repeatable and valued “long forms of attention” whether in books or other constellations of materials, in the past or the digital present.
This talk will conclude with a look at the RoSE (Research-oriented Social Environment) created by a team at the University of California, Santa Barbara, directed by Liu.
This talk is co-sponsored by The Material Cultures of the Book Working Group
