Planned Obsolescence Publishing Technology and the Future of
Planned Obsolescence: Publishing, Technology, and the Future of the Academy Kathleen Fitzpatrick // @kfitzpatrick@mla. org
In many cases, traditions last not because they are excellent, but because influential people are averse to change and because of the sheer burdens of transition to a better state. — Cass Sunstein, Infotopia
obsolescence
death
digital humanities
the humanities in and for the digital age
scholarship in and for the digital age
scholarly communication
“too much financial risk. . . to pursue in the current economy” — the marketing guys
“They were planning on making money off of your book? ” — Mom
book ≠ dying form
change
conservative
We Have Never Done It That Way Before
“While we are very adept at discussing the texts of novels, plays, poems, film, advertising, and even television shows, we are usually very reticent, if not wholly unwilling, to examine the textuality of our own profession, its scripts, values, biases, and behavioral norms. ” — Donald Hall
self-criticism
change
social, intellectual and institutional change
cost access
the ways we research
the ways we write
the ways we review
peer review
peer review
but
disciplinary technology
self-policing
gatekeeping
scarcity is over
plenitude
create artificial scarcity
coping with abundance
impact
post-publication
whether a text should be published
how it has been (and should be) received
from regulation to communication
facilitating
“peer-to-peer review”
“the new metrics of scholarly authority” — Michael Jensen
scarcity
filters
31, 650+ pageloads 12, 100+ first-time visitors 3370+ return visitors 295 comments 44 commenters
400
“publication”
authorship
products
processes
community
“We know that a text consists not of a line of words, released a single ‘theological’ meaning (the ‘message’ of the Author-God), but of a multidimensional space in which are married and contested several writings, none of which is original: the text is a fabric of quotations, resulting from a thousand sources of culture. ” — Roland Barthes
interaction
process
control
collaborative
originality
remix
publishers
libraries
universities
knowledge production
Office of Scholarly Communication
communication
the future of the book
born-digital platforms
the future of the book
New Variorum Shakespeare Digital Challenge
sustainability
born-digital platforms
scholarship in and for the digital age
communication
social
thanks! Kathleen Fitzpatrick // @kfitzpatrick@mla. org
- Slides: 105
