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Gamer Citizens: Emojis as Civic Duty in a Circuit of Visual Culture

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Ilya Brookwell  

This paper is a practical and theoretical look at the notion of "emojis as civic duty." I frame the discussion in terms of an "emoji code" that goes beyond an evolution of natural languages to integrate more fundamentally into specific experiences, particular communities, and a networked regime of images. I revisit media, communications, and cultural studies' "circuit of culture" as an alternative theoretical frame to prevailing linguistic theories on the function of emojis. The circuit endures because it helps us to recognize a politics of the image beyond form and function, signaling an interplay between consumption, production and vitally a politics of live-video streaming media. I offer an analysis of "emojis as civic duty" through the case of an Esports champion called Syed Sumail Hassan, and I conclude by suggesting where future study is necessary for a more robust understanding of gamers as citizens.

Featured An AI-Mediated Art History: A Critical Assessment of Neural Networks and VLMs for Art Historical Purposes

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Stefanie De Winter,  Anne Sofie Maerten,  Derya Soydaner,  Ombretta Strafforello,  Michiel Willems  

With advancements in media technologies, neural networks and vision-language models (VLMs) present possibilities for art historians, particularly in automating style prediction and historical classification. This paper synthesizes findings from two studies we conducted to critically assess whether these models can meaningfully interpret stylistic transitions in art history. In our first study, we implemented a neural network trained on the WikiArt dataset to evaluate its capacity to capture temporal continuity and stylistic coherence across different art periods. This analysis probes whether such computational representations could assist art historians in mapping stylistic evolution, while acknowledging significant challenges in interpretability and historical nuance. Our second study examines VLMs on zero-shot classification tasks, including art style, artist attribution, and period dating. Using two public benchmarks and a curated test set, which includes pivotal artworks frequently studied by art historians, we evaluated these models' ability to handle the complexities of artistic composition and stylistic diversity. While promising, VLMs reveal limitations in grasping the subtleties that define art, raising concerns about oversimplification and misinterpretation. Our findings elucidate the potential and constraints of AI in art historical research. By integrating neural networks and VLMs as supplementary instruments rather than substitutes, we address the complexities associated with the deployment of media technologies in a field characterized by interpretive richness. The objective of this paper is to prompt reflection on the potential of AI to advance art historical practice, while also cautioning against an undue reliance on these emerging technologies.

Bombing the Information Superhighway: Graffiti’s Evolution Through Media and Technology

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Luis Contreras  

This study explores the intersection of graffiti, media, and digital technologies, focusing on how artists leverage drones, augmented reality, and social media platforms to navigate hybrid spaces that merge physical and digital environments. Using a digital ethnographic approach, this research examines the ways graffiti artists adapt their practices to algorithmic infrastructures, balancing visibility, creativity, and resistance in the digital age. The findings highlight the implications of these innovations on artistic expression, public space, and cultural resistance, contributing to broader discussions on the evolving dynamics of media and technology.

Digital Media

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