Sensitive Media. A Media History of Sensitivity 1750–2020

In my dissertation project “Sensitive Media. A Media History of Sensitivity 1750–2020” I examine the media-historical role of sensitive matter. Focusing on the historical use of animal bodies and their specific sensitivities in scientific experiments, I show how sensitive media emerged from the middle of the 18th century and were increasingly used in knowledge production: Sensitive media are characterized by a specific ability to react to certain effects and have had a decisive influence on the course of experimental science since the 19th century. Operationalizations of sensitive media can be found in electricity theory, air physiological experiments, or pharmaceutical testing of drugs and substances. They can be found up to the present day. Today, in times of sensor-based networked media technologies, such as the smartphone, sensitive media play an essential role. Here, where the technical sensitivity of our devices and their sensors becomes essential for their functioning, a complex techno-affective media structure emerges that takes advantage of the responsiveness of users and environments. The analysis of the historical entanglement of media and sensitivity aims at a more comprehensive understanding of our media-technological present and how it has become.

Kurzbiographie

Anja Breljak studied philosophy and economics in Berlin, Paris and Sarajevo. She then worked as a research assistant at the Open Topic Chair for Legal and Constitutional Theory at the TU Dresden, while studying computer science part-time. She works between the disciplines, organizes and moderates events in the field of political economy, performative philosophy and digital society. Her research interests include body and media history, theories of affect and power, post-structuralism and performative art/critique.