Head in the clouds

A Deleuzoguattarian analysis of the environmental impacts of digital memory

Bibliographic Data

ID6442219
AuthorsOlivia Loots (0000-0003-3603-6059, University of Pretoria, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume18
Issue4
Pages950-969
Publication date2024-09-10
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMemory Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1750-6980 • E-ISSN: 1750-6999
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/17506980241276421
OpenAlexW4402547993
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited51

Digital memory in the twenty-first century is a complex combination of human and nonhuman elements that interact in various combinations. In an era where environmental devastation is inundating the planet, it is vital to address the digital’s role in this degradation. This article explores various facets of the environmental implications of the digital storage of memory objects using Deleuze and Guattari’s assemblage theory. I identify the ways in which the digital realm is constructed, or ‘territorialised’ in Deleuzoguattarian terms. Beyond identifying the most common myths related to digital memory’s environmental impact, I expand on the work of information theorists such as Clements, Floridi, and Ess by forwarding three ways in which digital memory practices can be deterritorialised. These approaches include (1) knowledge acquisition, (2) taking response-ability, and (3) anti-redundancy movements. I argue that it is vital for cloud storage users, especially those who self-identify as environmentally conscious, to align their online memory practices with accurate understandings of the environmental impacts of the digital

Head (geology · Digital Games and Media · Digital Media and Philosophy · History · Innovative Human-Technology Interaction · Geology · Paleontology

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