The Cult Future of Books

7/28/2019 The Cult Future of Books

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TheCultFutureofBooks,

PresentedtotheFriendsoftheLibrary,UniversityofColorado,October,2010

JohannaDrucker

ImwalkingdownthestreetinWestwood,onmywaytoamovie,andIgetacallonmycellphone.ItsacharacterfromthefilmImabouttosee,lettingmeknow

sheisintrouble,askingformyhelp.CanIpleasejustlogontothenet,trackapiece

ofinformationforher,lookintothesurveillancecamerarecordthatthepolicehave

takenintocustodythoughthefilefromthatmachinewillfreeherofchargesandshehastohavetheevidenceinhandor--!Thecallbreaksoff,andIamleftwiththe

dilemmaofinterveningornot,andbythetimeIgettothecinematheconsequences

ofmydecisionwillhavedeterminedthecourseofanarrativethatwillunfoldinreal

timeastheotherviewersengage,asIwill,inamulti-playerfictionthatisscriptedto

changeasweenterintoitsactions.ThestoryIwasreadingthismorningonmyscreenhasmorphedintovividgraphics,andthenewsfeedthattoldmeofanatural

disasterisbeingfoldedintothebackgroundscenesasajournalistcharacterinthefilmtaleissenttopursueanaccountofthecatastrophethatisoccurring.Real

events,fictionalcharacters,actualreportage,andtheinterventionofroleplaying

participantsareallintegratedacrosstheplatformsofphone,screens,clouds,and

displays.Thelinebetweenfictionandmediatedrealityisblurry,atbest,andthe

fantasylifeofmytimehastakenoverthefullspectrumofmediadevicesthat

coordinateamongeachothertoproduceawebofnarrativelinesconstantly

unfoldinginassociationsandmorphedremixesIamconsumingandproducinginan

endlessfeedbackloop.

EversincethecharacterNeo,playedbyKeanuReeves,stoodinfrontofa

meshofwireframedatasitesinMinorityReport,andmanipulatedinformation

rapidlywithhishands.Hismotionswereswift,hismindworkinginoverdrivetoprocessthetrailsofassociationsthatappearinfrontofhimasasetofabstractions.

EchoesofTheGlassBeadGamearerealizedinthisschematicvision,wherealogicof

relationsisexpressedaslinesandnodesoflight,seeminglyliberatedfromthedrossofmerematter.Entrancedbytheelegantpatternsofilluminatedtracerywehardly

pausetoconsidertheelaborateapparatusthatexiststoproducetheseeffectscircuits,hardware,infrastructure,themessytanglesofwiresandcoppercoils,

siliconandenamel,lasersandotherheavilyengineeredequipment.Theillusionof

informationaspurelighthasafantasmaticallure,asifthisweretheultimateconditiontowhichhumanexpressionmightaspire,astateofsublimeillumination

thathoversintheether,tangible,butdisembodied.Insuchafuture,bookswith

theirboards,cloth,andpaper,havetherough-hewnfeelofrusticobjects,somethingcrudeandclunkybelongingtoaraceofvanishedtribeswhoseculturereliedupon

hewingandcarving,sewingandbinding,leatherthongsandanimalskins,vegetable

matterandoilyinks.TheinformationspacesofMinorityReportdistanceusfromour

presentbycastingitintoanimageofapastfromwhichweseekonlytoevolve,asif

intacitacknowledgementofthesuperiorityofalessmaterialworld.

Themythologiesinthisopeninggambitaremany.Electronicinstrumentsare

nolessmaterialintheiroperationandembodimentthanprintobjects,andrely,asI


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havejustsuggested,onanelaborateinfrastructure.Butinthegapbetweenfantasy

andrealitythebookhasdroppedoutofsight,becomeanobsoleteobjectandsowe

havetowonderifthecollectivemindhasalreadyletgoofthefamiliarcodexand

decidedtorelegateittotherealmofritual,asantiquatedandveneratedasawine

chaliceorgobletusedfortherichnessofassociationsinaceremonialcontext.Has

thebookalreadybecomeacultobject?Asymbolicremnantofaoncefunctionalandessentialthing?Ifithas,thenwhatisthefutureofreading?Andofsharedand

consensualunderstandingofexperience?Dothese,too,vanishasdiscardedfeatures

ofaculturewhosecommunaltouchstonestriggeredmemoryandinsightthrough

commonreferences?Shallweswitchtoaconditionoffullymediatedandalwayslinkedinhyper-comunicationinwhichwearenolongerabletograspfiguresof

speechorknowledgebutratherregisteroursignificanceaccordingtotherateof

transmissionspulsingthroughourdevicesasourselves?Canthebookofthefuture

besavedfromcultstatusasafetishizedicon?Orshallweresignourselvestoits

disappearanceasanythingbutamereconvenience,aformoftrashyprintondemandoutputtobeusedanddiscarded,orrecycled,andreused.What,beyond

nostalgia,promptsacommitmenttobooksinthefutre? Theimageofbookfuturesisinextricablyboundtothemarketingofdevices

inourtimes.E-booksandreaderscompeteforashareofattentionandconsumer

interest.KindlesandiPadsandotherplatformsforreadingappeardaily,with

alluringadsofyoungbodiescurledaroundtheirslimlightformswithanintimacy

thatspeaksvolumes.Themachinesareascapableofconnectionasabook,saythe

iPadads,theirviewofalapinacasualposedirectingourviewtothescreenasifwe

aresharingthisintimateexperiencewiththepersonholdingthedevice.Little

matterslikeobsolescence,theshelf-lifeandbattery-lifeoftheseobjects,their

destinytobeuselesswithinafewyears,glossedoverbythesleekdesignwithitsoh

socontemporarylines.Theprettymachinesobscureotheraspectsoftheiridentity,

theirstealthrelationshiptonetworks,tothemothershipthatmonitorsdownloadsandusetopromoterelatedobjectsandsuckinformationbackfromthetransactions

ofusersintothemega-cloudofnetworkedconsumerculture.Details,meredetails,

theconvenienceofportability,flexibility,increasinglyabletocontainmarksofreading,searchtrailsandtags,thewholethoughtmeshofourprocessingtrumps

anyparanoiaorconcernaboutmereprivacyorproperty,especiallyforayoungergenerationlivingtheirlivesinnetworkeddisplayoftheirpersonallives.Theirsense

ofselfandotheriswithoutdistinctions,theyaremadeinthewebofconstant

exchange,texts,tweets,messaging,talk,unboundedandnodalratherthanautonomousandcontained.Sotheinformationspacestheyarecomfortable

inhabitinghavethesamequality,unboundedandrhizomatic.Thenotionofa

definedspacedelimitedandshapedisitselfbecomingobsolete.Notjustbooksasobjectsbutbook-nessasatropeofcompositionisrapidlybeingsupercededby

alternativemodesofproductionforinformation,entertainment,play,and

professionallife.

Knowledge,distraction,pleasure,advancementtheseareallareasofour

livesinwhichbooksplayarole.Inadditiontoconsideringthesciencefictionfutures

promisedbythechangeofplatform,thenewraftofdevicesandtheirspecialeffects,

wemightwellconsiderthesocialfictionsofthefuture.Theactivitiesthatdependon


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bookswillchange,evenasoursenseofself,family,community,relationships,

democracy,faith,news,andeveryothercategoryofsociallifearechanging,have

changed.Stories,narratives,textsandtelling,theshapeofformandthecraftofart

willremain,expressedinpagesandboundbookssometimesandatotherscreated

intheverywarpandwoofofnetworkedtissuesofexchange.Illcomebacktothese

pointsinamoment,butfirst,wemightreflectonthetransformationsinthephysicalobjects,deliverydevicesthatareemulatingextendingorreplacingthebook.The

languageofrevolutionaryinnovationthataccompaniesthisisnotunlikethatwhich

hasbeenusedtotalkaboutthecomingofthebookitself,inparticular,withthe

inventionofprintinthe15thcentury. Books,afterall,wereoncenovelobjects.Thecodexwetakeforgrantedonly

developedintheearlycenturiesofthecommonera,andwasinitiallyusedforand

thusassociatedwithChristiantexts.Thedifferentiationfromclassicalauthorswas

markedbyadistinctionbetweenscrollandboundcodex,thoughthisdividedidnot

lastlongandwasneitherlegislatednorpoliced.Asatechnology,thecodexaffordedmanyadvantages,particularlythesupportofdiscontinuousreading.Asthe

medievalbookindustryadvancedfrommonastictoscholarlypractices,andtravellingclericswishedtoorganizedtheirperformanceofaservicebymoving

throughsectionsofliturgyappropriatetothetimeofyearorcircumstance,the

paratextualapparatus,aswecallit,begantoemergefromtheblocksof

undifferentiatedtext.Wordspacing,sectionheadings,punctuation,marginalia,

headers,footers,notesandcommentary,indices,canontables,andthentablesof

contentsallhavetheirhistoryinthelatemiddleagesthroughtheearlyRenaissance.

Thecodexbookbecameanorganizedinformationspaceasaresultofnewdemands

putonitbyusersdeterminedtofindtheirplaceinamassoftextandbeableto

crossreferencetheirreadingofonepassagewithanother.Theworkofearly

Christiantextualscholars,thegreateditingaccomplishmentsofOrigin,Eusebius,

Jerome,couldonlybeaccomplishedwiththecreationofnewscholarlyforms.AnthonyGraftonandMeganWilliamstracethisprocessintheirbook,showingthat

thesidebysidecomparisonoftextualwitnesses,versionsofsacredtexts,was

essentialforcriticaleditingandtheestablishmentofanauthoritativebiblicalscripture.Weforgetallthishistory,ifweeverknewit,findingourwaythroughthe

commonbookasifitwereahabitbornofnatureratherthanaskillbuiltthroughtheexigenciesofculture.Complexbooks,booksofelaboratecommentarythat

evidencedacommunityengagedinstudy,controversy,contentiousdebateand

conversationexistlongbeforeGutenbergwasabletoimagineavariablysizedmoldfortheproductionofthosetinysquarecastbitsofmetalthatarethebasisof

letterpressprinting.Sacredtexts,legaltexts,equallyimportantforthestakeholders

ofoutcomesofinterpretation,areheavilyglossedinthemiddleages.Theorganizationofthesepagesbecamethebasisofprintdesigns,thoughsomeearly

printers,liketheentrepreneurialAldus,decidedtodroptheglossedontheGreek

andLatinauthorswhoseworkhewasbringingbackintobeinginordertolighten

theloadthatwouldhavetobecarriedbythesmallformatpagesoftheearlypocket

booksheproducedinsuchabundance.

Thebookformatwearesokeen(orsomeofus)toleavebehindinthename

ofanewageofinformationandinteractiveinterfacehasahistorywhoseparticulars


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revealcommunitiesinvestedintheconventionswetakesomuchforgranted.When

printedbookscameintobeing,theyappearedinalatemedievalworldinwhich

bookpublishingwasawell-establishedpartofuniversitytownsandsecularlife,

wherecollectorsandpatronsreadforpleasureaswellaspiety,andwherethe

investmentinculturallegacywasonlyslightlypartisanbycontrasttowhatitwould

become.Theprintedbookbroughtnewcomplicationstothesociallifeoftexts,andtheimpulsetocontrolcontentbecameabattleoverelementsofforminparticular

inthereligiousstrugglesofthe16thcentury.Ifthecomingofprintculturetouse

ElizabethEisensteinsmuchdebatedphrasebroughtwithitarelativestabilityof

texts,costbenefits,andanewindustryofspecializedskilledcraftspeopleitalsopromotedthecreationofextensivevirtualcommunitiesforgedbypassionatebeliefs

intherealmsofscience,politics,andreligiousbelief.Wewillcomebacktothe

businessofstabilityandfluidityoftexts,butforthemoment,letmeaddressthe

waysinnovationsinprintdoanddonotmeritthehyperboliclanguagetheyhave

sometimesgenerated. Technologicalinnovationsdonotdeterminesocialchange,butarebornofit

andparticipateopportunisticallyinexistingtrends.Printedbooksdidnotimmediatelychangepatternsofuse.Theymadesomethingaffordableandavailable

thathadbeenrelativelyscarceandexpensive.Overproductionsoonfollowedthe

inventionofprinting,andthelate15thcenturyislitteredwiththeunwanted

volumesofagreatremaindersale.Medievalromances,theworksofDante,Petrarch,

Chaucer,Boccacio,Erasmusandothergreathumanisticwritersofthelatemiddle

ages,hadalreadyputliteraryworkintothevernaculartongue.Butthetranslationof

thebible,newtestamentandold,intolanguageseasilyreadandcommonlyspoken,

turnedbooksandtheirpagesintoobjectsandscenesofcontestation.WhenWilliam

Tyndale,thefirstprintertotranslatetheBibleintoEnglish,putthetextintoprint,

hisflighttoforeignlandswasnotenoughtoprotecthimfromfuriousCatholicsbent

onpunishinghimforheresy.Strangled,burntatthestake,Tyndalebecameamartyrtohisfaithandtobookculture,tothebeliefinthepowerofatexttospeakitself

directlytobelieverswithoutinterventionfromthemediatingofficesandofficersof

theChurch.Theroleofmarginaliaandglossesinguidingareadingbecameanobjectofintensecontroversy.Thebookwasasiteofdebate,anembodimentofstruggles

expressedonitspages.Thestakeswerehighlifeanddeath,thethreatoftheInquisition,thetormentsmetedouttohereticsinthislifewhatevertheymetifthere

wasalifehereafter.Bookswerenotmerelypassiveexpressionsofbelief,notonly

textstobereadwithincommunitiesorusedforobservationofreligiousservice,theyareactiveinstrumentsinapoliticalbattleforcontrolofsoulsandresources,

allegiancesandalignmentsofpowerandmoneyandfaith.Thewrongversionofa

textortheunsanctioneduseofacommentarycouldlandaprinterinprison,areaderinchainsorworse.Thenotionthatatext,onapage,mightspeakdirectlyto

theeyeandmind,withouttheaidofexpertinterpretation,wastheopeningmovein

apoliticalgambitsupportedbythespecificformatofabookspresentationofatext.

Thisisacomplexandmind-bogglingnotion.Butwecanlooktoother

traditionsoftextualtransmissionforsimilarlyritualizedapproaches.InJewish

traditiontheTorahmustbecopiedprecisely,withpassagebeginningintheplacein

eachcolumnofascrollfromonecopytothenext.Anyerrorinthecopyingrenders


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theworkinvalid,andcondemnstheparchmenttotheGeniza,astoragecellarfor

corruptedcopies.TheTorah,however,isalwaysmeanttobereadwithina

communityofinterpretation.Thetextservestoprovokediscussionandreflection,

tobesharedandrefractedthroughmultiplevoicesandlearnedconsideration.The

glossesonprintedTalmudictexts,suchasthehighlyorchestratedplacementofthe

commentaryofthe11th

centuryRabbiknownasRashi,aprintconventioninitatedbyDanielBomberginthe15thcenturyinVenice,aregraphicalexpressionsofa

communityofdiscoursepreservedandpassedonasalivingtestament.The

appearanceoftheTalmudishighlyformulaic,andlikeallthreeoftheAbramic

religions,JewsreveretheirtextsasTheBook,atermthatappliestotheChristiangospelsandRevelationaswellastotheIslamicQuran.Sacredtextsare

fundamentaltomostreligions,andpoliticalfaithsaswelltheBookofMormon,the

Confuciantexts,HindicVedas,andBuddhistsutras,Maosredbook,andThomas

PainesCommonSense.ThesymbolicfunctionofthebookastheBookis

incontrovertible.Willthischangeinthefluidnetworksoftheweb?Whatchangesarewroughtinthesocialmediasitingofsacredtexts?

Mypointisthattheformsandformatsofthecodexwerefullyintegratedintosocialpractices.Theinventionofprintchangedavailability,andincreasedstruggles

forcontrol.Thepowerofthepresswasshockingtothoseentrenchedincontrolling

theuseaswellasaccesstotexts,and,tosomedegree,images.Sohowisthe

inventionofthenon-book,thefuturebook,theelectronicplatformforreading,

differentinkindandcharacterfromthisotherinventiononwhichweplacedsuch

importance?Thepowerofbooks,likethepowerofdigitalmedia,layinitsabilityto

capturesymbolicspaceandholdourspiritsinsway.Webelievebecauseweread

andwereadalonglinesofbelief,andthecreationofavirtualespace,aspaceof

understanding,wasprovokedbyprintedartifactsinwaysspecifictotheirformbut

definedbyit.

Ispentsomuchtimeondescribingthearrivalofthebookweareonthevergeofwishing(orwitnessingpass)outofexistence(who?NotI,donotputmein

thecenterofthatwe)becausethiseventissooftenexaggeratedonthebasisofits

technicalinnovationsandsolittleunderstoodinthemorenuancedcontinuumofthesociallifeoftextsandtheirtransmissionanduse.

Thisbringsmebacktothequestionsofuseandtheirconnectiontothecurrentstateofinnovationinnetworkeddigitalenvironments.Earlyprinted

artifactsarerelevanthere,aswell,sincethefirstevidencewehaveofwoodblock

imagescirculatinginEuropeseemstobeofplayingcards,thoseinstrumentsofdistractionandopportunitiesforvice.Sodespairingwerechurchfiguresofthe

impactofcardsonculturethatSt.Bernardinpleadedfortheprinterstoreplacethe

imagesofpipsandsuitswiththatofasunflowercontainingthenameofChrist.Asifcontemplationofsuchasublimeimagemightcompensateforhoursofaddictive

gambling.Goodluck.NomorelikelythanswitchingtheWorldofWarcraftbuffto

thequietcontemplationofsacredtextsinourtime.

Entertainment,knowledge,professionalwork,legislation,security,financial

andeconomicpracticesallchangingasaresultofthesedevices.Iresearchatrail

ofreferences,savetheurlsandmetadatainmyZoteroapplicationinthebrowser.

ComposemyessayinfragmentsandpostitthroughThought-Mesh,taggingitasI


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go,andseekingsimilarandrelatedessaysonLibraryThingwheremycommunityof

peers,knownandunknown,contributetheirowninsightsandreferences.Itake

thesebacktomyZoterosearchandamabletosharemylistofresourceswitha

groupworkingonasimilarprojectortopic,andputthisintotheCloudwhereadata

miningprogramsortsandsearches,producinganynumberofgraphicaldisplays

thatarraytheinformationaccordingtoparametersinvisibletomyeyeinspiteofthevisualbeautyoftheimageonthescreen.Rapidmediationandremediationof

informationtoimagetexttographicandbackagainasIdiveintoandoutofthe

closeanddistantviewsofunimaginablylargecorporaofdata,information,texts,

books.Anenormouswallsizedscreenwithmultipletouchsensorsletsmeorganizethedisplayforanexhibitofinteractiveuserswhoseengagementalsotagsandsorts

andreorganizestheinformationintoanevent,aperformance.Somewhere,Iknow,

thedeephistoryofwhatIamdoingstillresidesintheprintedartifactsandpagesof

anarchiveIrefusetoabandonbutgointoforitstreasures,miningthatpastand

bringingittothesurfaceaspartofthepresentfieldofresourcesinplay. Wecancomeback,here,attheendtoreflectonthewaysthesymbolicforce

ofthebookasaniconisstampedinourcollectivemind,astheveryimageofauthority,mystery,history.Thebookhasbecomeanalchemicalsymbol,asignof

esotericknowledgeandrefinedpractices,whilethewebhasbecomethesceneof

activesocialmediationandproductionofinformation.Binarismsarealways

suspect.Themanuscriptbookofthelatemiddleageshadmuchincommonwithits

printedcounterpartupthroughthe18thcentury.Industrializationchangedbook

formats,introducednewspapers,tabloids,journals,postersandotherprinted

meansofsocialexchangeinunprecedentednumbers.Theconvenienceofbooksand

theiravailabilitywillservesomepurposesforalongtime,butitisnotjustbooks,

butreadingpracticesthatarechanging.Where,how,whenandwhatwereadare

changingtooaswetakeintinychunksoftextandimage,assound,video,music

accessedbyswipingthescreenandfollowingourwhims.Thefutureofthebookwillbeintegraltothefutureofnarrativesandtheevolutionofstructuredarguments

intoconstellationaryform,sothatthearrayofevidenceorganizedincloudsand

arrangementsofvaryingproximityoffersnavigationalpossibilitiesthatextendthebooksindexesandrandomaccesstonewdimensions.

Inconclusion:Thephysicalfutureofformsandformats,newdevicesandplatforms,meansofaccess,use,combination,sequence,themulti-mediaandmulti-

modalcross-platformandtrans-deviceproductionofadiscursivefield.Thesocial

futuresofactivitiesandeffects,conceptsandpractices,inanunboundedandoftenunframedandnon-delimitabletissueofassociatedlinksandtrails.Thesymbolic

futureofcommunicationandcommunity,ofmakingpublicandcreatingshared

pointsofreferenceandunderstanding,collectivememoryinthelivedexperienceofthenoosphere.Booksofthefuture,futureofbookshowdowesecuretheplaceof

humanityandhumanvaluesatthecoreofatechnophilicworld?

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The Cult Future of Books