Theorizing Materiality in Communication.

The article problematizes the relationship between communication technology and the human society to explore the materiality of communication. Using live television as a critical case, the article suggests that the visual technology constructs a sense of artifactuality, which demands that we examine its material implication. Distinguishing itself from the hermeneutic approach that emphasizes the meaningful aspect of communication, the materiality of communication foregrounds the “habitus” of communication by focusing on technology as a social performance that objectifies a network of space, time, and the subject/object actants. The significance of technology in communication does not lie in its functionality, but should be recast in ways that manifest how technology “affords” socio-cultural practices. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]