Review by Choice Review
In this examination of the backstory of technological culture, Parikka (Univ. of Southampton, UK) argues that to fully understand media culture, one must confront history, geological formations, minerals, and energy. A pioneer in this subject matter, the author grounds his analysis in the notion of deep time in the media--see Siegfried Zielinski's Deep Time of the Media (CH, Oct'06, 44-0771)--as he demonstrates how the environment provokes the media culture. In the book's five chapters, Parikka provides a theoretical foundation for media materialism, discusses ideas for an alternative concept of deep time of the media, connects media technologies such as art methods and aesthetics to geophysics, provides a case study on how problems with mining dust have driven the narration of stories in the media, and espouses views of the historical layers of media discourse that can lead to media activism. Even though substantial portions of this work--versions of two chapters, portions of other chapters, and the appendix--have appeared in other publications, this book is required reading because Parikka points readers toward a more expansive media theory in ways that no other researcher has. This book is likely to become part of the canon of media studies. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --Kristen Lynn Majocha, University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
