Morais Renata Lemos c Theory

06/10/2015 CTheory.net

http://www.ctheory.net/printer.aspx?id=731 1/8

TheoryBeyondtheCodes:tbc059DatePublished:9/15/2014www.ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=731ArthurandMarilouiseKroker,Editors

THEORYBEYONDTHECODES

SkyHigh,SkinDeep

darktechnologiesofmediation

RenataLemosMorais

DarkMediation

Mediahasbecomeresponsivearchitecture.Intelligentmediaartefactsarenowembeddedintotheveryfabricofourexistencetheyhavebecomethestructureofsocietyitself.Ubiquitouscomputingcreatesinformationalenvironmentsinwhichmaterialstructuresofcommunicationbecomealivewithagency.McLuhan'slightbulbisnoweveryware:[1]technologythatmediatesbyitsmerepresence.Pervasivemediation,acombinationofmobilenetworksandsystemsofmaterialtranslationsuchas3Dprintersandprogrammablematterisourcurrentregimeofmediation.

Satellitetechnologiesaretheheartofmobilemedia,andthereforewearesaturatedwithmediaanalysesthatlookuptotheskyinordertomaptrajectoriesofcommunication.Notwithstanding,thisvisioncentricapproachtopervasivemediadoesnotencompassthefullspectrumofmediatechnologies.Beyondtheboundariesofsuchregimesofvisibilityliesanewregimeofdarkmediation.Belongingtoadifferentlevelofmateriality,nanotechnologiesenableadark,objectorientedmediationwhichevadesvisualrepresentation,fornanomediationisbecomingindistinguishablefromnanoengineering.

Inasmuchascontemporarycultureisshiftingtowardsmaterialculture,representedbywhatNeriOxmanhascalleda"materialecologyofmediatedmatter,"[2]itneverthelessremainscentredaroundscreens.Hypermediationasaconceptwasdevelopedinrelationtointeractivescreenculture,whenthe"hyper"propertiesofthedigital(links,layers,multitasking)openednewpathwaystoconceptualisingmedia.[3]ThemediationimpliedinBolterandGrusin'sconceptofhypermediationisimagebased.Visualculturetodayisitselfaproductofthe"hyper"visibilityofdigitalmediation.

WhatIproposeinthisarticleisatheoreticalapproachtoprocessesofmediationthatarenotvisual.Iaddressunattainableandinvisibleprocessesoftechnologicalmediationinwhichmediationitselfbecomes,paralleltotheoveraboundingsurroundingexcessofvisualpercepts,aformofinaccessibilitythatinitstotalitybecomesunfathomable.Suchunderstandingofmediationgoesagainstsimplisticnotionsthatreduceitsmeaningto"thatwhichmakescommunicationaccessible."

Noteveryinstanceofmediationcanbeeasilyaccessedinaworldofpervasivemedia.Darktechnologiesofmedia,whichrangefromdronemediatedtonanomediatednetworks,lead



topartialandabsolutedegreesofinaccessibility.Pervasivemediaproducestwodifferentrealmsofnonaccess:informationalandphysical.Paralleltotheinformationalobscuranciesofdarkdataanddronemediatedsurveillance,weirdtalesaretoldaboutthephysicalinaccessibilitythatisapropertyofnanolevelsofmediatedmatter.Darkmediationbelongstosciencefactjustasitbelongstosciencefiction.Itpertains,simultaneously,tothecombinedmaterialecologiesofculture,technology,andnature.Pervadingdatasystemsandmatteritself,ourdarktechnologiesofmediationarehiddeninplainsight.

Darkmediationpresupposesdifferentdegreesofinaccessibility.Itis,therefore,mediationthatleadstopartialorabsolutenoncommunication.Thisinaccessibilitycanbelongtotherealmofdisappearance,[4]inwhichwefindtheforbidden,thehidden,theforgottenoritcanbelongtotheabsolute,theethereal,theontological.Thematerialityofmediatechnologiesandtheirtechnologicaldustarenotonlycausingalackofbreath[5]theyarealsocreatingacurtainoffogthatobfuscatesmediation.

Pervasivemediaproducesinformationalandphysicallevelsofinaccessibility.Thefirstlevel,characterisedbydarknetworks,canbemappedhighintheskybytheDroneShadowsitcreates,mentionedhereinreferencetoJamesBridle'scriticalartisticwork.[6]Inthesecondlevel,characterisedbyinvisibleandabsolutemediationthatpervadesmultipledimensionsofmatter,wecanfindinterestingkindsofWeirdTales,namedinreferencetoEugeneThacker'smentionoftheclassichorrormagazinetoillustratehispropositionofaweirdsupernaturalthat

seemstobeasimmanentasourmediaaredistributed,ubiquitous,inthe"cloud"andenvelopingusinitsinvisible,etherealbathofinformationandnoise.Thefunctionofmediaisnolongertorendertheinaccessibleaccessible,ortoconnectwhatisseparate.Instead,mediarevealinaccessibilityinandofitselftheymakeaccessibletheinaccessibleinitsinaccessibility.[7]

Droneshadowsarecastuponthevirtualelusivenessofcontentburiedinthe"InvisibleWeb,"[8]restrictedbycryptographyandnetworksecurity,lostwithinscatteredpocketsofdarkdata,[9]capturedbyuntraceablesatellitesurveillance[10]orbyundercovermilitarydrones.[11]Simultaneously,weirdtalesaretoldaboutthephysicalinaccessibilityofnanolevelsofmaterialprogramming,molecularcommunication,[12]quantumcomputingandmedia[13]mediationwhichgoesasdeepintothecoreofmatterasquantumphysicsitself,andthatcanonlybeaccessedindirectlyviadatamining.Darkmediationisnotrestrictedtoourmediaimaginarium.Itbelongs,simultaneously,tothecombinedmaterialecologiesoftechnologyandnature.Pervadingdatafieldsandmatteritself,darkmediationisallaroundus.

DroneShadows

Ifweunderstandwhatispublicintermsofcollectiveaccess,thenwhatisprivatewouldbedeterminedintermsofitsinaccessibility.Indronetechnologiesthereisadoublelogicofinaccessibility:atthesametimeinwhichdronesareblurringthedistinctionbetweenpublicandprivatespace,betweengeographicalboundariesofoverseaswarfareanddomesticsurveillance,theyarealsomakingaccountabilityharderduetotheverynatureofdroneoperations,whicharemostlycovert.Secretdronepoliciesarecarriedoutbymilitaryinstitutionsworldwide.JeremyScahill'sdocumentaryDirtyWarsuncoverssuchsecretoperationsconductedbyAmericanNavySeals,DeltaForce,andtheCIA'sSpecialActivitiesDivision,amongotheragencies.Invisibilityandobfuscationareinstitutionaldirectives:

Thepoliticalandpracticalpossibilitiesofdronestrikesaretheconsequenceofinvisible,distancingtechnologies,andatechnologicallydisengagedmediaandsociety.Foreignwarsandforeignbodieshavealwayscountedforless,butthe



technologythatwassupposedtobringusclosertogetherisusedtoobscureandobfuscate.WeusemilitarytechnologieslikeGPSandKinectforworkandplaytheycontinuetobeusedmilitarilytomaimandkill,everfurtherawayandeverlessvisibly.[14]

Thecommercial,military,andprivateappropriationsofdronetechnologiesaremakingevidenthow"thecorporealpoliticsofspace,placeandidentityarepowerfullyinflectedbytechnologicalsystemsofremotesurveillanceandviolence."[15]Asthesesystemsofremotesurveillancebecomeevermoreimperceptiblehiddenwithinembeddedcircuitsallaroundus,flyingabovethecloudswhiletrackingdownourdigitalfootprintstheyarebecomingapartoftheveryinfrastructureofpublicandprivatespace,inawaythatleaveslittleroomforanydifferentiationbetweenthetwo.Thisoverlappingofprivateandpublicspacecomesasaconsequenceoftheway"peopletradeprivacyforfunctionality....Publicspace,weareoftentold,'needs'surveillancetechnologiestoensurearangeoffunctionsfromthesafetyofcitizenstoefficientservicesforconsumers."[16]Domesticuseofdronesalsoraisesprivacyissues,whenunregulatedaerialfilmingofprivatepropertyandlandisbecomingthenorminurbanareasallovertheglobe.

Traditionalsurveillancemetaphorsdepictingbigbrothercamerasmightbecomeobsoleteonthegroundsthatsurveillanceisintheprocessofoperatingmateriallyinsteadofvisually.Surveillancedevicescanbeembeddedontheveryphysicalsurfacesofobjectsandevenonbiologicaltissues.Anewregimeofsurveillancearisesonethatisinvisibletotheeyeandthatgoesbeyondvisionintotheverycoreofinformationsystemsunclad.Anillustrativeexampleistheapplicationofnanotechnologiestothefieldofdronedevelopment.Privacyinfringementsexpandexponentially:operationsthatwerealreadyobscuremightnowbecomecompletelyinvisible.ItisnocoincidencethattheAmericanmilitaryistheworld'sleadingorganisationinvestinginresearchanddevelopmentofnanotechnologicaldroneapplications.

Aerovironment'sSwitchbladeUAV/smartbomb(calledthemicrodrone)assmallasalargebulletandabletoexplodeontargetisbeingusedbythemilitaryasbothasurveillancedeviceandaweapon.[17]Commercialandprivateusesofnanodronesarealreadytakingplaceforexample,theNanoQuadrotorsdevelopedbyGRASPLab2fromUniversityofPennsylvania,whichareverysmallandcapableofperformingswarmmovements.EvensmallernanodronesarebeingdesignedusingSmartDust,autonomousmicrosensornodesconnectedtomobilenetworks:

Themillimeterscalenodes,calledsmartdust,explorethelimitsonsizeandpowerconsumptioninautonomoussensornodes.Sizereductionisparamountinmakingthenodesinexpensiveandeasytodeploy.Smartdustincorporatestherequisitesensing,communication,andcomputinghardware,alongwithapowersupply,inavolumeofnomorethanafewcubicmillimeters.[18]

Smartdustrepresentstodarktechnologywhatdigitalswarmingrepresentstotheweb:adisruptionthatmakescollectivebehaviourevermoreunpredictable.Thedoubledlogicofin/accessibilitypresentindronemediationsbecomesmorecomplexwhenbothkindsofswarms,virtualandmaterial,begintointerpenetrateinintricateways.TakeBebop,forexample:BebopisadronethatcanbeoperatedbyOculusRift.[19]Itprovidesimmersion,notintovirtualreality,butinto(dronemediated)physicalreality.Categoriesarehardtomaintainthesedays.Whenswarminggetsphysical,itsimplicationsaredark:

Astheswarmbecomesrealbeforeoureyes,theLovecraftianhorrorbecomesmoreOrwellianorperhapsitistheotherwayaround?Asourgadgetsgetsmaller,suchhorrorsseemslesslikefantasyandmorelike...what?"Reallife?"Nanomachines,flyingrobots,botnets,andAI.Thegenrestatusswitches



betweenblockbusterandheadlineonaweeklybasis.It'sallalittletooreal.It'sallalittletoomuch.Andthatsurplus,caughtintheglintingsunlightoffcold,gunmetalgraywings,invisibleintheskyabove,istheSwarm.[20]

BehindthedronemythosofRothstein'snarrative,wecanfindanotherinstanceofmaterialitythatisinfusedwithdarkmediationandagency:programmablematter.Butthatisadifferentkindofweirdtale.

WeirdTales

Whilesomeremainscepticalaboutmediaubiquity(inthesensethatbarriersofaccessanddifferentpatternsofadoptionimplythatubiquitousmediamaynotbenearlyasubiquitousasitclaimstobe),[21]othersareradicalproponentsofitslimitlesspossibilities,recountingweirdtalesofanexquisiteappeal.AweirdtaleofthispeculiarkindisRayKurzweil'stheoryofexponentialaccelerationoftechnologyasanunavoidableprocessthatwilleventuallyresultinatechnologicalsingularity.Leavingasidethefrailandobscureterritorythatstandsinbetweenmadnessandgenius,thesimplerealityofpervasivemediationisthatitcanbeembeddedintoallphysicalsystems,betheyorganicorinorganic,naturalorartificial.Pervasivemediationencompassesallformsofmediation,rangingfromtraditionalmediatomaterialengineeringsuchas3Dprinters,programmablematter,andnanomedia.Limitlessmediationhappensacrossbiologicalorganisms,physicalobjects,technologicalartifacts,molecules,atoms,andbits.

Suchradicalpervasivenessispossible,inpart,thankstomolecularcommunication,[22]whichtakesplacewithinsystemsofbiologicalsignalexchangethatinvolvecodedmessagessentthroughmolecules.Moleculescantravelacrossallmaterialsystems,andareusedscientificallyasaformofnanomedia.Whiledigitalmediafunctionswithinanelectronicenvironment,nanomediaoftenoperatewithinchemicalenvironments.Digitalmediaflowsviaelectronicpulses,frequencies,fiberoptics,andair,whilehybridnanomedia(organic/inorganicsystemsofnanocommunication)typicallyoperateviachemicalreactionswithinliquidenvironments.[23]

Flowsofmediationthatwereoncerestrictedtodigitaldatacircuitscannowcirculatethroughmatteritself,allowingmattertobe[re]programmed.Programmablematterismadeofpervasiveprocessesofdarkmediation,whichareresponsiblefortheensembleofmaterialaffordancespresentinvarioustechnologiessuchascellularautomata,[24]selfreplicatingmachines,[25]claytronics,andferrofluids.[26]

Regardlessoftheabsenceofacleardistinctionbetweensciencefactandsciencefictionwhenitcomestomappingthefullextentoftechnologicalprocessesofmediation,thetaleofourmedianowbeingagiantmeshthatexpandsfromourpocketsintothesky,fromtheskyintothefiberopticcablesburieddeepatthebottomofthesea,andfromtheretonanogadgetsthatmightswimunderourskins,isnotsoveryweird.Alloftheseinstancesofmaterialprogrammabilityrefertoembodimentsthatareinformationalattheiroriginsandthatcarrysignswhicharetranslatedintomaterialpropertiesandshapes.Mediatedmatter(re)producesobjects.

Programmablematterisnotonlyapowerofcreationitcanalsobeaninvisible,darkpowerofeffacement,forwhatevercanbeprogrammedcanbejustaseasilydeprogrammed.Everythingthatcanbeusedtointegrateandassemblecandisintegrateanddismantleaswell.AsignificantexampleisEro,arobotwho"erases"buildingsbyrecyclingtheirconcrete[27]asuperstrongwaterjetdismantlesparticleswhiletheygetsortedbyintelligentsuctionmachineswhichthenseparateitscomponentsforfurtheruse.

Mattercannowbemanipulatedanderasedjustaseasilyasagraphicdesignercanhandle



theerasertoolinPhotoshoptofixadrawing.Theunbearablelightnessofmatterisalreadyquitefunky,buttheweirdtalescangetalotfunkier.Scientistsarepromisingtoturnlightitselfintomatter,byconstructingapurephotonphotoncollider,adevicethatcouldcreatematterfromlight.[28]Sciencefactandsciencefictioncollideonceagain.

Wookieepedia,theStarWarswiki,defineshypermatterasbeingmadeoffasterthanlightparticlesusedasfuelininterstellartransportation.[29]Borrowingthisinspiration,wecouldassignnewmeaningtothetermandspeculativelyredefinehypermatterasmediatedmatterinwhichnonlinearpropertiesofmediationarematerialratherthaninformational.Hypermatterrepresentstomatterwhathypermediarepresentstomedia:ajumpintomultidimensionalitythattransformsmediationitselfandcouldleadtoradicalimmediacy.Yetanotherweirdtaleisborn:thesciencefactualstoryofhypermatterasavisiblesurfaceofdarkmediation.

Hypermatter

Darktechnologieschallengethefundamentalelementsandcategoriesofmediation:internalandexternal,messageandchannel,originandreception.Themediumisindeedthemessageembodiedandmaterialandthismessageistransduction.Infomaterialtransductionisthemechanismbehindmediatedmatter,onethatallowsforanobjectorientedunderstandingofmediaubiquityitself.

Regardlessofbeinginformationbasedormaterialbased,darktechnologiesarepushingtheboundariesofmediatheory.Darkdata,pervasivemediaandthepossibilityofcapturinganddisseminatinginformationacrossmultipleandinvisibledevicesmakesofanyone,anywhere,apotentialandsimultaneoussubjectandobjectofsurveillance.Theunavoidablepopularisationofdroneswillhavethesameconsequences.Fromhighintheskytounderourskin,darknetworksofmediatedmatterwouldmeanthatpanopticandscopticmodesofsurveillancecouldmergeintoonesinglerealmofhypersurveillance,onethatismaterialratherthanvisual.

Attheirfullest,darkprocessesofpervasivemediationwouldmakecommunicationanimpossibility,beitbecauseofbarrierstoaccessorbecausemediumandmessageareunitedtoanextentthatonecontinuouslymorphsintotheother.Suchradicalcontinuumofhypermediationwouldresultinabsolutemediation,whichinturncannotbecommunicated.Hypermediationthatleadstoabsolutemediationisinfiniteandmathematicalinitsmultidimensionality,[30]transcendingmediationandbecomingexcommunication.[31]

Somemightarguethatdarkmediationwouldbeequivalenttoareversedformofimmediacy.However,thisisnotcase,fortheexperienceofimmediacyremainsapossibilityindarkmediationasinremediationtotalaccessibilitymightcollapseintototalinaccessibilityjustasmatter,inextremecosmologicalconditions,cancollapseintodarkmatter.Anakedimmediacywouldthenbeasvisibleasanakedsingularity:infinitedensityofmatterequivalenttoinfinitedensityofmediation.

Acknowledgments

ManythankstoScottMcQuirefordiscussingtheseideaswithme.

Notes

[1]AdamGreenfield,Everyware:TheDawningAgeOfUbiquitousComputing(Berkeley:



NewRiders,2006).

[2]NeriOxman,"TowardsaMaterialEcology,"Paperpresentedatthe32ndAnnualConferenceoftheAssociationforComputerAidedDesigninArchitecture(ACADIA),SanFrancisco,October2012,http://neri.media.mit.edu/publications/article/towardsamaterialecology(accessedonJune30,2014).

[3]JayDavidBolterandRichardGrusin,Remediation:UnderstandingNewMedia(Boston:MITPress,2000).

[4]ThedisappearanceIamreferringtoheremakesacounterpointtoPaulVirilio's"aestheticsofdisappearance,"whichisbasedonahumanconsciousnessevisceratedbyasharedrealityofvisualexcess.JeanBaudrillard's"artofdisappearance"isalsobasedonhumanconsciousness:hisblackholeofnondifferentiationisinitselfasocialperceptionofreality.Rather,thedisappearanceinherentinthedarkmediationIdescribehereisnotdependentonasharedorsocialexperience.Itischaracterized,ontheopposite,byabsenceofaccesstoexperience.AlthoughitwouldcertainlybefascinatingtoapplyVirilio'sconceptofaccidenttothetechnologiespresentedhere,ortointerpretthemasBaudrillard'shyperrealnebula,inwhichthemediumandtherealimplodeupononeanother,forthepurposesofthisessayIwillfocusonexploringmaterialrealmsofdisappearance,whicharegroundedinthedeploymentoftechnologicalartifactsandmediatedmatter.

[5]JussiParikka,"DustandExhaustion:TheLaborofMediaMaterialism."CTheorytbc055(October2,2013),http://ctheory.net/articles.aspx?id=726(accessedonJune30,2014).

[6]JamesBridle,"UnderTheShadowoftheDrone"Booktwo.org(October11,2012),http://booktwo.org/notebook/droneshadows/(accessedonJune30,2014).

[7]EugeneThacker,"DarkMedia,"inAlexanderGalloway,EugeneThacker,andMcKenzieWark,Excommunication:ThreeInquiriesinMediaandMediation,9596(Chicago:TheUniversityofChicagoPress,2014).

[8]ChrisShermanandGaryPrice,TheInvisibleWeb(NewJersey:InformationToday,2007).

[9]P.BryanHeidorn,"SheddingLightontheDarkDataintheLongTailofScience,"LibraryTrends57.2(2008).

[10]JiejunKong,"AnonymousandUntraceableCommunicationsinMobileWirelessNetworks,"PhDthesis(UniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles,July2004).

[11]TylerWallandTorinMonahan,"SurveillanceandViolencefromAfar:ThePoliticsofDronesandLiminalSecurityScapes,"TheoreticalCriminology15(2011),23954.

[12]TatsuyaSuda,MichaelMoore,TadashiNakano,RyotaEgashiraandAkihiroEnomoto,"ExploratoryResearchonMolecularCommunicationbetweenNanomachines,"GeneticandEvolutionaryComputationConference(GECCO),LateBreakingPapers,June2005,http://www.cecs.uci.edu/conference_proceedings/gecco_2005/suda_gecco05.pdf(accessedonJune30,2014).

[13]DavidDeutsch,"ItfromQubit,"Science&UltimateReality,JohnBarrow,PaulDavies,CharlesHarper,eds.(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2003).

[14]JamesBridle,"Dronestagram:TheDrone'sEyeView,"Booktwo.org(November8,2012),http://booktwo.org/notebook/dronestagramdroneseyeview/(accessedonJune30,



2014).

[15]WallandMonahan,ibid.

[16]ScottMcQuire,MeredithMartin,andSabineNiederer,eds.,UrbanScreensReader(Amsterdam:InstituteofNetworkCultures,2009).

[17]JohnReed,"ArmyBuyingKamikazeDrones"Defensetech.org(September8,2011),http://defensetech.org/2011/09/08/armybuyingkamikazemicrodrones/(accessedonJune30,2014).

[18]AnnaHac,WirelessSensorNetworkDesigns(WestSussex:Wiley,2003).

[19]KarissaBell,"ParrotIntroducesOculusRiftEnabledDrone,"Mashable(May11,2014),http://mashable.com/2014/05/11/parrotbebopdrone/(accessedonJune30,2014).

[20]AdamRothstein,"DroneEthnography,"Rhizome(July20,2011),http://rhizome.org/editorial/2011/jul/20/droneethnography/(accessedonJune30,2014).

[21]MariakessonandCarinaIhlstrmEriksson,"TheVisionofUbiquitousMediaServices:HowCloseAreWe?,"inHumanInterfaceandtheManagementofInformation:InteractinginInformationEnvironments,MichaelJ.SmithandGavrielSalvendy,eds.,LectureNotesinComputerScience4558(2007),22232.

[22]Suda,Moore,et.al.,ibid.

[23]Theareaofnanocommunicationnetworksisgrowingsteadily,ascanbeseenbythecreationofNanoCommunicationNetworksJournal,anacademicjournaldedicatedentirelytothestudyofthisfield(seehttp://www.journals.elsevier.com/nanocommunicationnetworks/).

[24]TommasoToffoliandNormanMargolus,"ProgrammableMatter:ConceptsandRealization,"PhysicaD:NonlinearPhenomena47.12(January1,1991),26372.

[25]RobertFreitasandRalphC.Merkle,KinematicSelfReplicatingMachines(Georgetown,Texas:LandesBioscience,2004).

[26]DavidAndelmanandRonaldRosensweig,"ThePhenomenologyofModulatedPhases:FromMagneticSolidsandFluidstoOrganicFilmsandPolymers,"inYoavTsoriandUllrichSteiner,Polymers,LiquidsandColloidsinElectricFields:InterfacialInstabilities,OrientationandPhaseTransitions(Singapore:WorldScientific,2009),156.

[27]LidijaGrozdanic,"AmazingEROConcreteRecyclingRobotCanEraseEntireBuildings,"InhabitatMagazine(June19,2014)http://inhabitat.com/amazingeroconcreterecyclingrobotcaneraseentirebuildings/(accessedonJune30,2014).

[28]O.J.Pike,F.Mackenroth,E.G.Hill,S.J.Rose,"APhotonPhotonColliderinaVacuumHohlraum,"NaturePhotonics8(2014),http://www.nature.com/nphoton/journal/v8/n6/full/nphoton.2014.95.html(accessedonJune30,2014).

[29]"Hypermatter,"Wookieepedia:TheStarWarsWiki,http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hypermatter(accessedonJune30,2014).

[30]TedNelson,"NoMoreTeachers'DirtyLooks,"ComputerDecisions9.8(September1970),1623.



[31]Galloway,ThackerandWark,Excommunication.

Dr.RenataLemosMoraisisaLecturerinMediaandCommunicationatDeakinUniversity.Herresearchistransdisciplinary,integratingculture,science,art,andtechnology.SheisamemberofSpaceCollective.

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