Network Aesthetics

The term “network” is now applied to everything from the Internet to terrorist-cell systems. But the word’s ubiquity has also made it a cliché, a concept at once recognizable yet hard to explain. __Network Aesthetics__, in exploring how popular culture mediates our experience with interconnected life, reveals the network’s role as a way for people to construct and manage their world—and their view of themselves. Each chapter considers how popular media and artistic forms make sense of decentralized network metaphors and infrastructures. Patrick Jagoda first examines narratives from the 1990s and 2000s, including the novel __Underworld__, the film __Syriana__, and the television series __The Wire__, all of which play with network forms to promote reflection on domestic crisis and imperial decline in contemporary America. Jagoda then looks at digital media that are interactive, nonlinear, and dependent on connected audiences to show how recent approaches, such as those in the videogame __Journey__, open up space for participatory and improvisational thought. Contributing to fields as diverse as literary criticism, digital studies, media theory, and American studies, __Network Aesthetics__ brilliantly demonstrates that, in today’s world, networks are something that can not only be known, but also felt, inhabited, and, crucially, transformed. The term network is now applied to everything from the Internet to terrorist-cell systems. But the word s ubiquity has also made it a cliche, a concept at once recognizable yet hard to explain. "Network Aesthetics," in exploring how popular culture mediates our experience with interconnected life, reveals the network s role as a way for people to construct and manage their world and their view of themselves. Each chapter considers how popular media and artistic forms make sense of decentralized network metaphors and infrastructures. Patrick Jagoda first examines narratives from the 1990s and 2000s, including the novel "Underworld," the film "Syriana," and the television series "The Wire," all of which play with network forms to promote reflection on domestic crisis and imperial decline in contemporary America. Jagoda then looks at digital media that are interactive, nonlinear, and dependent on connected audiences to show how recent approaches, such as those in the videogame "Journey," open up space for participatory and improvisational thought. Contributing to fields as diverse as literary criticism, digital studies, media theory, and American studies, "Network Aesthetics" brilliantly demonstrates that, in today s world, networks are something that can not only be known, but also felt, inhabited, and, crucially, transformed." The Term 'network' Is Now Applied To Everything From The Internet To Terrorist-cell Systems. But The Word's Ubiquity Has Also Made It A Cliché, A Concept At Once Recognisable Yet Hard To Explainches 'network Aesthetics' Explores How Popular Culture Mediates Our Experience With Interconnected Life, Reveals The Network's Role As A Way For People To Construct And Manage Their World And Their View Of Themselves. Maximal Aesthetics : Network Novels -- Emergent Aesthetics : Network Films -- Realist Aesthetics : Televisual Networks -- Participatory Aesthetics : Network Games -- Improvisational Aesthetics : Alternate Reality Games -- Coda : After Networks (comes Ambivalence). Patrick Jagoda. Includes Index. "The term "network" is now applied to everything from the Internet to terrorist-cell systems. But the word's ubiquity has also made it a cliche', a concept at once recognizable yet hard to explain. Network Aesthetics, in exploring how popular culture mediates our experience with interconnected life, reveals the ways people imagine networks to construct and manage their worlds--and their views of themselves"--Page [4] of cover