Media Technologies and the (Dis)appearance of the Body

This paper explores the intersection of media technologies, the human body, and the formation of knowledge, as seen through the lens of Friedrich Kittler's writings. It argues that the body in Kittler’s works does not vanish but reappears in a different way, leading to alienation and estrangement due to the shift from a human-centered perspective to media technologies as the key to understanding the body’s physiology. The discussion starts with the reorganization of knowledge based on scientific experiments that reshape our understanding of human beings and their bodies, emphasizing the influence of scientific experiments and media technologies on the perception and measurement of the human body, as well as the alienation effect produced by the visualization of scientific data. Further, this paper discusses the impact of media technologies on human perception and the redefinition of the human body in the digital age. The discussion delves into the idea that media technologies, particularly digital signal processing, can provide insights into human physiology beyond natural sensory capacities. Finally, it concludes that Kittler’s deconstruction of the body within various material and technological media frameworks highlights the symbiotic relationship between humans and machines, reflecting the contemporary reality of ubiquitous digital technologies.