The Media Crease: Traces of Reuse in Hard and Soft Copies

Theorist Abigail De Kosnik discusses her concept of the "media crease" within both traditional and digital media.

Unlike paperback novels that show their use in folded pages and creased spines, or the grooves in vinyl records that deepen as a song is played and replayed, digital media offer no physical trace to document their owner’s use and reuse patterns. Considering both hard and soft media and the different ways that copies are created of each, theorist Abigail De Kosnik will chart how “the media crease” can be observed within digital culture. From common acts like reblogging, retweeting, playback, and reviewing to unintended effects like glitches and erasures De Kosnik will examine different traces and patterns within the digital landscape.