the cult future of books
TRANSCRIPT
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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?