Assemblage- Bella Kjellen

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Assemblage, as stated in the reading, can be characterized as the arrangement and organization of a variety of heterogeneous elements and references the consideration of media as arrangements of humans and nonhumans. Assemblage, when laid out, illustrates the relationship of networks between media, users, and its components. When dissecting apart the components of media platforms, for example, we can see the relationship between each entity and the parts that make up social media as a whole. This can be done both literally or symbolically. For example, an online campaign on body image is formed by having a goal/concept, logo/phrase, image to be shared, a platform to post on, and a body of people to start the movement. Beyond this, technical components such as the internet, devices, bits and bytes, and so forth could be counted, but what too can be accounted for is the need for a style of image/content. The assemblage of like-minded posts/ photos, therefore, reflects the agency of the cause and those who participate in it and can be considered a component piece. Once an assemblage of components that make up this campaign is formulated, the intended effect is projected. Like agency, assemblages ultimately have meaning, and this meaning is unable to be expressed until the assemblage is complete. I think laying out the pieces of an assemblage is a good representation of the connection between agency and networks, which can strengthen causes once recognized.

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