Reaction Economies
Affect & The Archive
A Lecture by:
Axel Stockburger
Date:
Tuesday, September 5th // 7pm
The
talk examines the Internet phenomenon of the reaction economy, namely
people who are streaming their emotional
or intellectual reactions to a whole
range of different cultural products, from music over films, games, books or
products. The hosts of reaction economy channels present themselves as “naive”
consumers of content and show strong emotional reactions, which appear
authentic. One reason for the popularity of such formats, seems to be the
complex logic of desire that drives humans to enjoy situations through the
other. Another might be that one gets to enjoy an already archived, old content
again, now validated through the eyes
and ears of another person from a different cultural sphere or time. What does
this complex phenomenon tell us about digital culture and the ways it
reconfigures the social? And, what are the political stakes of assuming the
stance of the person in the know whose cultural choices are validated by a “naive” and impressionable, affectable
(capable of strong emotional reactions) other? The presentation will trace some
of these issues and introduce a discussion of the consequences of the strategic
deployment of affect in reaction economies.
Axel Stockburger (he/him) Doz. Mag. Dr. Assoc.
Prof. (*1974) is an Artist who works as Associate Professor for Art and
Cultural Studies at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna. He studied Visual Media
Arts with Peter Weibel at the University of Applied Arts, Vienna and Art
History as well as Philosophy at the University of Vienna. In his PhD from the
University of the Arts, London, he researched the spatiality of digital games
in the context of contemporary art. Stockburger employs global popular culture,
such as computer games, cosplay or blockbuster films as a starting point for
the production of his videos and text works. His art and writing engage with
novel forms of participatory and fan culture that have emerged with the
transition from traditional mass media like TV and Film towards the Internet.
In his videos he focuses on a wide range of in the wider context of the
paradigm shift from analogue towards digital cultures. His videos and
installations have been exhibited internationally. He is a member of the
research group Technopolitics and, since 2020, a member of the board of the
artist association Secession, Vienna.
www.stockburger.at