As stated in the reading, assemblage helps “theorize the arrangement and organization of a variety of heterogeneous elements.” It aids in creating the idea that media is an arrangement of humans and nonhumans. As we discussed in class, when dealing with several examples of media sources including TikTok, Twitter, podcasts, websites, etc. you can break these sources into multiple parts to conclude that assemblage is present. For example, my group was assigned to look at the features of a printed book. This included pages, words, letters, authors, publishing companies, and editors. By taking the time to separate the components of a book, we were able to place them into the categories provided. Moreover, with the example of TikTok, it is possible to break that up into the creator, the signal needed to post the video, the caption used to describe the video, and the list could go on forever. Through this process, it becomes prominent that assemblage is present in a wide array of different media programs/areas.
3 thoughts on “Mimi Bainbridge “Assemblage” Post”
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I really like your explanation of a social media platform’s assemblage. I also liked how you explained the assemblage of a printed book because it allows us to see how assemblage is in everything, both virtual and real. We can connect this keyword to everything we experience in our everyday lives. For example, when one brushes their teeth, there are many key elements that go into this simple action. A toothbrush, toothpaste, a set of teeth, are just some key factors that are needed. By picking apart these elements and putting them into the categories of enunciation, mechanics, territorialization and deterritorialization, we are able to see how our lives are composed of so many different things. We can connect this to our online lives and how we present ourselves on social media apps such as Instagram, when creating and sharing media to the public.
I think you did a great job explaining what assemblage is. By breaking down all the parts necessary for a printed book or a TikTok video, it shows how many aspects are vital to make one medium function properly. After laying out all these parts, it is then clear to see that some of these aspects have agency. I also like how you emphasized how assemblage can be present in a variety of different ways. Almost every process or creation can have assemblage, as most things have multiple working parts to them in order to function the best they can.
Despite the diversity of media we encountered, for example the printed book and TikTok exist in very different realms, assemblage can be a useful lens to understand both. The juxtaposition of the two in your post highlights the versatility of this keyword, which will likely become an important part of my understanding of a wide variety of things from now on.