Surveying New Sites: Landscapes and Archaeologies of the Internet
Issue: Vol 2 No. 1 (2015)
Journal: Journal of Contemporary Archaeology
Subject Areas: Archaeology
Abstract:
This study examines how an archaeological approach can be applied to the analysis of online spaces and websites as a mode of critical inquiry. With a nascent “digital archaeology”, which has emerged within media studies, the role of archaeology can be regarded as being reduced to a convenient metaphor in these discussions as scholars seek to “unearth” and “excavate” connections between technology and society. To counter such limiting and one-dimensional assessments of the discipline, this research highlights how archaeology as a study concerned with space, place and materiality can be mobilised to investigate the digital realm. Therefore, using theories derived from critical code studies, this article highlights the potential of an archaeological survey of the internet by examining the site of Stonehenge within the online landscape.
Author: R. J. Wilson
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