Globital Memory Capital: Theorizing Digital Memory Economies

TY - CHAP

T1 - Globital Memory Capital

T2 - Theorizing Digital Memory Economies

AU - Reading, Anna Marie

AU - Notley, Tanya

PY - 2017/5/1

Y1 - 2017/5/1

N2 - This chapter on globital memory economies develops our own original analytical framework for understanding digital and unevenly globalised memory economies. We use this framework to define and ‘see’ the uneven mnemonic economy of our digital devices that exists beyond the screen, the hidden digital infrastructures in terms of the materiality and energy required of them, as well as the ethical imperatives of this economy in terms of addressing the uneven environmental impact on the planet in terms of digital sustainability. The aim of the chapter is to provide researchers and students with a conceptual and analytical overview that they can then apply in more detail to a wider range of case studies and empirical examples. In this way, we hope to contribute to a critical rethink of the commercial and public sector rhetoric surrounding digital media – including the associated digital-global memory this media creates – as essentially cheap, green, clean and abundant. Rather, we argue that digital memory studies scholars need to pay more attention to the economic and political dimensions of digital-global memory in order to understand how local and transnational memories work in uneven and unequal ways, that result in substantial costs to both the environment and the less privileged left outside of the global north

AB - This chapter on globital memory economies develops our own original analytical framework for understanding digital and unevenly globalised memory economies. We use this framework to define and ‘see’ the uneven mnemonic economy of our digital devices that exists beyond the screen, the hidden digital infrastructures in terms of the materiality and energy required of them, as well as the ethical imperatives of this economy in terms of addressing the uneven environmental impact on the planet in terms of digital sustainability. The aim of the chapter is to provide researchers and students with a conceptual and analytical overview that they can then apply in more detail to a wider range of case studies and empirical examples. In this way, we hope to contribute to a critical rethink of the commercial and public sector rhetoric surrounding digital media – including the associated digital-global memory this media creates – as essentially cheap, green, clean and abundant. Rather, we argue that digital memory studies scholars need to pay more attention to the economic and political dimensions of digital-global memory in order to understand how local and transnational memories work in uneven and unequal ways, that result in substantial costs to both the environment and the less privileged left outside of the global north

UR - https://www.routledge.com/Digital-Memory-Studies-Media-Pasts-in-Transition/Hoskins/p/book/9781138639386

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781138639386

BT - Digital Memory Studies:

A2 - Hoskins, Andrew

PB - Routlege

CY - Abingdon and New York

ER -