Donnerstag, 14.05.09 von 18 bis 20 Uhr

Gastvortrag von Prof. Jaakko Suominen (Universität Turku / Pori) an der Abteilung Finno-Ugristik (Campus Hof 7; HS I)

Interessierte sind herzlich willkommen!

Computer as a Tool for Love – A Cultural History of Technology

Digital computer has been a popular media figure since its first public introduction in the 1940s. Although computing has greatly changed both as technological and cultural phenomenon in the last sixty years, public introduction of computers has again and again been related to strong emotions such as high hopes and fears of possibilities of technological development. Also, popular media has provided various representations of relationship between computers and people.

This lecture presents one perspective to cultural and media history of computing by focusing on romantic descriptions of the human-computer relationships. By using particularly Finnish press material, popular cinema, fiction, cartoons as well as oral history sources from the 1940s to the present paper illustrates four different historical information technological romance discourses:

1. Hidden love and emotionless computer,
2. Computer as a seductress,
3. Caring love, and
4. Nostalgic (teenage) heart-throb.

All the four influential discourses, which appeared partly in different historical phases, can be found in the current popular media discussion on information technology as well.

The presentation shows how these romances discourses have been used on one side in domesticating new technology, but also in gendering and legitimating certain technological user roles. Some of the romance stories has been used as well for public warnings about anomalous human-technology relationships. In this context, love and emotions are strongly related to questions of power, technology and society.

Jaakko Suominen ist Professor für digitale Kultur am Institut der Kulturproduktion der Universität Turku.