[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-150607-en":3,"doc-seo-150607-105":30,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":92},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":20,"is_downloadable":20,"audit_status":20,"page_count":21,"language":22,"language_code":23,"site_id":24,"html_lang":23,"table_of_contents":25,"faqs":26,"seo_title":27,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":28,"read_time":29},150607,7971461740909,"Levi","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d",8,"Research & Report","Computers as Invocational Media - Doctor of Philosophy Thesis","This thesis argues that computers function as invocational media, extending media theory beyond computation to the power of invocation: storing, generating, and recalling images, sounds, and simulations. It develops a lineage for defining technological media through invocation’s “genetic element,” drawing on Deleuze and Guattari as well as computer/medium theory and actor-network theory. Invocation blends command and memory to produce decisions and to summon new dynamic media environments.","Computers as invocational media  \nThesis submitted towards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy  \nChristopher Bradford Chesher  \nBA (Media and Communications)  \nMitchell College of Advanced Eduction  \nMA (Interdisciplinary Studies)  \nUniversity of New South Wales  \nDepartment of Media and Communications Division of Society, Culture, Media and Philosophy College of Humanities and Social Sciences Macquarie University  \nMarch 2001  \nTable of contents  \nTable of contents ............................................................................................. iii  \nAcknowledgments ......................................................................................... vii  \nIntroduction ....................................................................................................... 1  \n1. Computers and the Humanities ................................................................ 33  \n2. Invoking concepts ....................................................................................... 94  \n3. Ontology of the invocational interval .................................................... 135  \n4. Command, memory and decision machines .......................................... 172  \n5. User design................................................................................................. 215  \n6. Invocational aesthetics ............................................................................. 252  \n7. Hypertext, technology and invocationary acts ...................................... 289  \nConclusions.................................................................................................... 322  \nReferences ...................................................................................................... 329  \nSummary  \nThis thesis argues that computers are invocational media. It shows how this technological lineage can be defined not only by the power of computation, but also by the power of invocation—storing, generating and recalling images, sounds and simulations. Drawing on Deleuze and Guattari, a wide literature on computer, medium theory and actor-network theory, it argues that invocational media are based on the‘genetic element’of invocation. The cultural practice of invocation, which has an ancient heritage, mixes command and memory to produce decisions. Invocational media not only answer calculations; they also invoke any number of dynamic new media environments. Summoning concepts from cultural milieux, they have been called on to invoke (among other things)‘intelligence’, ‘life’and even‘reality’.  \nInvocational media are as significant as previous historical transitions in media technology. If television brought secondary orality (Ong), invocational media bring nth oralities: chat, queries, e-mails and ICQ. Although technology has displaced conventional magic, tropes of magic recur in technology’s cultural imaginary. Invocational magic is domesticated and commodified. Hobbled together from surveillance, spectacle, command and control technologies, its powers are conditional. Users must answer ‘avocations’: standards that condition everything that is invocable. Invocational aesthetics are distinctive. Disregarding the computational aesthetics of pure mathematical form, users appreciate the emergent qualities of the invocational aesthetic: playable games, responsive interfaces, and immersive experiences. Everywhere, invocations are polyvocal, calling to wider assemblages. Hyperlinks combine technological systems, textual conventions and mediations of social commitments in producing invocationary speech acts.  \nAcknowledgments  \nAnyone who has attempted a PhD thesis knows that is not like any other project. It is sometimes referred to as an apprenticeship as an academic, and it has functioned in that way for me. As such an extensive project, it’s pretty hard to thank everyone who has helped in this process.  \nThanks, first, to my supervisors McKenzie Wark, Andrew Murphie and Anne Cranny-Fr","cbCaiktHOADx0aVn","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiktHOADx0aVn","pdf",2083301,1,364,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n## Computers and the Humanities\n## Invoking concepts\n## Ontology of the invocational interval\n## Command, memory and decision machines\n## User design\n## Invocational aesthetics\n## Hypertext, technology and invocationary acts\n# Conclusions\n# References","[{\"question\":\"What is the core claim of the thesis?\",\"answer\":\"The thesis argues that computers are invocational media, defined by their capacity to invoke rather than only compute. Invocation includes storing, generating, and recalling media like images, sounds, and simulations.\"},{\"question\":\"Which theoretical traditions does the thesis use?\",\"answer\":\"It draws on Deleuze and Guattari, and engages literature spanning computer and medium theory as well as actor-network theory. These frameworks support the idea of invocation as a foundational element.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the thesis describe invocational media’s cultural and aesthetic dimensions?\",\"answer\":\"Invocational media connect command and memory to produce decisions and enable dynamic new media environments. The thesis also characterizes invocational aesthetics as distinct from purely mathematical computational aesthetics, emphasizing emergent, playable, responsive, and immersive qualities.\"}]","Computers as Invocational Media - Doctor of Philosophy Thesis | PDF",1787823588,917,{"code":4,"msg":31,"data":32},"ok",{"site_id":24,"language":23,"slug":33,"title":13,"keywords":34,"description":14,"schema_data":35,"social_meta":87,"head_meta":89,"extra_data":91,"updated_unix":28},"computers-as-invocational-media-doctor-of-philosophy-thesis","",{"@graph":36,"@context":86},[37,54,69],{"@type":38,"itemListElement":39},"BreadcrumbList",[40,44,48,51],{"item":41,"name":42,"@type":43,"position":20},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":45,"name":46,"@type":43,"position":47},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":49,"name":12,"@type":43,"position":50},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":52,"name":13,"@type":43,"position":53},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/computers-as-invocational-media-doctor-of-philosophy-thesis/150607/",4,{"url":52,"name":13,"@type":55,"author":56,"headline":13,"publisher":58,"fileFormat":61,"inLanguage":23,"description":14,"dateModified":62,"datePublished":63,"encodingFormat":61,"isAccessibleForFree":64,"interactionStatistic":65},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":57},"Person",{"url":41,"name":59,"@type":60},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-04","2026-08-27",true,{"@type":66,"interactionType":67,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":68},"ViewAction",{"@type":70,"mainEntity":71},"FAQPage",[72,78,82],{"name":73,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":75},"What is the core claim of the thesis?","Question",{"text":76,"@type":77},"The thesis argues that computers are invocational media, defined by their capacity to invoke rather than only compute. Invocation includes storing, generating, and recalling media like images, sounds, and simulations.","Answer",{"name":79,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":80},"Which theoretical traditions does the thesis use?",{"text":81,"@type":77},"It draws on Deleuze and Guattari, and engages literature spanning computer and medium theory as well as actor-network theory. These frameworks support the idea of invocation as a foundational element.",{"name":83,"@type":74,"acceptedAnswer":84},"How does the thesis describe invocational media’s cultural and aesthetic dimensions?",{"text":85,"@type":77},"Invocational media connect command and memory to produce decisions and enable dynamic new media environments. The thesis also characterizes invocational aesthetics as distinct from purely mathematical computational aesthetics, emphasizing emergent, playable, responsive, and immersive qualities.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":52,"og:type":88,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":59,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":90,"canonical":52},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":24},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":93},[94,98,102,106,111,116,121,124,129,132,136],{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":47,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":53,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":113,"show_sort_weight":114,"slug":115},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":117,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":118,"show_sort_weight":119,"slug":120},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},30,"research-report",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":126,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":131},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":133,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":135},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":46,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":139},19,"General","general"]