Software studies
Encyclopedia
Software studies is an emerging interdisciplinary research field, which studies software systems and their social and cultural effects.
, Internet studies
, new media theory, and digital culture, which have positioned themselves alongside software's increasing realm of influence, have theorized about nearly every aspect of software's implementation. Yet, software itself is rarely addressed as a distinct theoretical category to be studied. This is precisely where software studies begins.
As an interdisciplinary field of study, software studies draws upon methods and theory from the digital humanities and more traditionally computational perspectives on software to build approaches to understanding software as both technical artifact and as an object of study. While software studies approaches are often unlike the approaches of computer science or software engineering, which concern themselves primarily with software in information theory and in practical application, these fields all share emphasis on computer literacy, particularly in the areas of programming and source code. This emphasis on analyzing software sources and processes (rather than simply interfaces) often distinguishes software studies from academic studies of new media, which are usually restricted to discussions of interfaces and observable effects.
, Benjamin H. Bratton
and Noah Wardrip-Fruin
's "Software Studies Initiative" at U. California San Diego), and the first conference events (Software Studies Workshop 2006 and SoftWhere 2008).
In 2008 The MIT Press started a Software Studies book series. The already published books include Software Studies: A Lexicon edited by Fuller (2008), Expressive Processing: Digital Fictions, Computer Games, and Software Studies by Wardrip-Fruin (2009), Programmed Visions: Software and Memory by Wendy Hui Kyong Chun (2011), and Code/Space: Software and Everyday Life by Rob Kitchin and Martin Dodge (2011).
In 2011, a number of UK researchers established Computational Culture, an open-access peer-reviewed journal. The journal will provide a platform for software studies field and related approaches.
's Language of New Media and Friedrich Kittler
's essay, "Es gibt keine Software." Much of the impetus for the development of software studies has come from videogame studies, particularly platform studies, the study of videogames and other software artifacts in their hardware and software contexts. New media art, software art, motion graphics, and computer-aided design
are also significant software-based cultural practices, as is the creation of new protocols and platforms.
Overview
Software is interwoven into all dimensions of our contemporary life—the economic, the political, and the cultural—in both obvious and nearly imperceptible ways. It is the underlying layer that drives much of our industry, our cultural production and consumption, and our communication and social organization. Many recently developed areas of study, such as cybercultureCyberculture
Cyberculture is the culture that has emerged, or is emerging, from the use of computer networks for communication, entertainment and business. It is also the study of various social phenomena associated with the Internet and other new forms of network communication, such as online communities,...
, Internet studies
Internet studies
Internet Studies is an interdisciplinary field studying the social, psychological, pedagogical, political, technical, cultural, artistic, and other dimensions of the internet and associated information and communication technologies. While studies of the internet are now widespread across academic...
, new media theory, and digital culture, which have positioned themselves alongside software's increasing realm of influence, have theorized about nearly every aspect of software's implementation. Yet, software itself is rarely addressed as a distinct theoretical category to be studied. This is precisely where software studies begins.
As an interdisciplinary field of study, software studies draws upon methods and theory from the digital humanities and more traditionally computational perspectives on software to build approaches to understanding software as both technical artifact and as an object of study. While software studies approaches are often unlike the approaches of computer science or software engineering, which concern themselves primarily with software in information theory and in practical application, these fields all share emphasis on computer literacy, particularly in the areas of programming and source code. This emphasis on analyzing software sources and processes (rather than simply interfaces) often distinguishes software studies from academic studies of new media, which are usually restricted to discussions of interfaces and observable effects.
Recent Developments
Recent firsts include the first published volume of essays (Matthew Fuller's "Software Studies: a Lexicon"), the first academic program (Lev ManovichLev Manovich
Lev Manovich is an author of new media books, professor of Visual Arts, University of California, San Diego, U.S. and European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where he teaches new media art and theory, software studies, and digital humanities...
, Benjamin H. Bratton
Benjamin H. Bratton
Benjamin H. Bratton is Associate Professor of Visual Arts at the University of California, San Diego and Director of The Center for Design and Geopolitics think-tank at Calit2, The California Institute of Telecommunications and Information Technology...
and Noah Wardrip-Fruin
Noah Wardrip-Fruin
Noah Wardrip-Fruin is Associate Professor in the Computer Science Department of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and is an advisor for the Expressive Intelligence Studio. He is an alumnus of the Literary Arts MFA program and Special Graduate Study PhD program at Brown University...
's "Software Studies Initiative" at U. California San Diego), and the first conference events (Software Studies Workshop 2006 and SoftWhere 2008).
In 2008 The MIT Press started a Software Studies book series. The already published books include Software Studies: A Lexicon edited by Fuller (2008), Expressive Processing: Digital Fictions, Computer Games, and Software Studies by Wardrip-Fruin (2009), Programmed Visions: Software and Memory by Wendy Hui Kyong Chun (2011), and Code/Space: Software and Everyday Life by Rob Kitchin and Martin Dodge (2011).
In 2011, a number of UK researchers established Computational Culture, an open-access peer-reviewed journal. The journal will provide a platform for software studies field and related approaches.
History
The conceptual origins of software studies include Marshall McLuhan's focus on the role of media in themselves, rather than the content of media platforms, in shaping culture. Early references to the study of software as a cultural practice appear in Matthew Fuller's 'Behind the Blip, essays on the culture of software'Lev ManovichLev Manovich
Lev Manovich is an author of new media books, professor of Visual Arts, University of California, San Diego, U.S. and European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, where he teaches new media art and theory, software studies, and digital humanities...
's Language of New Media and Friedrich Kittler
Friedrich Kittler
Friedrich A. Kittler was a literary scholar and a media theorist. His works relate to media, technology, and the military.-Biography:Friedrich Adolf Kittler was born in 1943 in Rochlitz in Saxony...
's essay, "Es gibt keine Software." Much of the impetus for the development of software studies has come from videogame studies, particularly platform studies, the study of videogames and other software artifacts in their hardware and software contexts. New media art, software art, motion graphics, and computer-aided design
Computer-aided design
Computer-aided design , also known as computer-aided design and drafting , is the use of computer technology for the process of design and design-documentation. Computer Aided Drafting describes the process of drafting with a computer...
are also significant software-based cultural practices, as is the creation of new protocols and platforms.
Related Fields
Software studies is closely related to a number of other emergent fields in the digital humanities that explore functional components of technology from a social and cultural perspective. Software studies' focus is at the level of the entire program, specifically the relationship between interface and code. Notably related are critical code studies, which is more closely attuned to the code rather than the program, and platform studies, which investigates the relationships between hardware and software.See also
- Digital Humanities
- Cultural studiesCultural studiesCultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...
- New mediaNew mediaNew media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
- Computer scienceComputer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
- Software engineeringSoftware engineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...