Rage against the machine

Buffering, noise, and perpetual anxiety in the age of connected viewing

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22475/rebeca.v12n1.959

Keywords:

Buffering, Streaming, Neoliberalism, Connected viewing

Abstract

Buffering, namely the need to preload data before streaming a video or audio file, epitomizes the oft-ignored ruptures and disruptions of digital engagement. Whereas buffering is often read as “noise” or as a technical nuisance awaiting a solution, a closer look can challenge our notion of mediation, immersion, and control. By contextualizing the study of buffering within a rich history of spectatorial and sonic noise, this article explores the unique “perpetual anxiety” it invokes and exposes, as well as the tension between pleasure and pain embodied in recognizing the imperfections of a supposedly seamless techno-utopia

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Author Biographies

Neta Alexander, Colgate University

PhD pela New York University e M.A pela Columbia University. Professora Assistente de Cinema e Mídia na Colgate University e editora assistente do Journal of Cinema and Media Studies (JCMS). Hamilton (NY). Estados Unidos.

Julio Bezerra, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul

Doutor pelo Programa de Pós-graduação em Comunicação da Universidade Federal Fluminense  (UFF). Realizou pesquisas de pós-doutorado na Escola de Comunicação da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) e na Columbia University. Professor dos Cursos de Jornalismo e de Audiovisual e do Programa de Pós-graduação em Comunicação da Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (UFMS). Campo Grande (MS). Brasil.

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Published

2023-07-30

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 1 (2023): Rebeca 23

Section

Reviews and Translations

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