Table Of ContentTechnology, Media Literacy,
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Media literacy is oft en focused on evaluati ng the message rather than refl ecti ng on the medium.
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Richard Lewis off ers a method for such a refl ecti on and shows how our everyday media environments c
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consti tute us as (post)human subjects, always in a state of becoming. An original interdisciplinary
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Prof. Mark Coeckelbergh, University of Vienna
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awareness provided by this posthuman approach aff ords us a greater chance for reclaiming some
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of our agency by providing a sound founda� on upon which we can then judge our media rela� ons.
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This is the author-approved edi� on of this Open Access � tle. As with all Open Book publica� ons, Technology, Media Literacy,
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this en� re book is available to read for free on the publisher’s website. Printed and digital u
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edi� ons, together with supplementary digital material, can also be found at h� p://www. j and the Human Subject
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Cover image: Albert György, Mélancolie (2012). Photo by Marieke S. Lewis (2019), CC-NC-ND.
Cover Design by Anna Ga� . A Posthuman Approach
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book
ebook and OA edi� ons
also available R S. L
ICHARD EWIS
OBP
OPEN
ACCESS
TECHNOLOGY, MEDIA LITERACY,
AND THE HUMAN SUBJECT
Technology, Media Literacy,
and the Human Subject
A Posthuman Approach
Richard S. Lewis
https://www.openbookpublishers.com
© 2021 Richard S. Lewis
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
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Attribution should include the following information:
Richard S. Lewis, Technology, Media Literacy, and the Human Subject: A Posthuman Approach
(Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2021), https://doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0253
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ISBN Paperback: 9781800641822
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DOI: 10.11647/OBP.0253
Cover image: Albert György, Mélancolie (2012). Photo by Marieke S. Lewis (2019),
CC-NC-ND. Cover Design by Anna Gatti.
For my brother, Kenneth
1961–1971
This research was made possible thanks to the support of the Hauts-de-France Region,
the Research Commission, and the ETHICS laboratory of the Catholic University of Lille.
Contents
Acknowledgements ix
1. Introduction: Problematizing our Relations with
Media Technologies 1
Situating the Research 2
Media Literacy 6
The Non-neutrality of Technological Relations 10
Which Human Subject? 13
Situating Media Literacy with Intrasubjective Mediation 14
Research Significance and Design 15
The Layout of the Chapters 20
Concluding Thoughts 22
Part I: Situating the Interdisciplinary Concepts
2. Situating Media Literacy 27
Communication Beyond the Transmission Model 28
Media Literacy Overview 31
Expanding Media Literacy 42
Concluding Thoughts 49
3. Understanding the Medium Through the Technological Relation 53
In Medias Res 54
Postphenomenology and the Technological Relation 57
Media Ecology 67
Concluding Thoughts 84
4. The Posthuman: Situating the Subject in Human-Tech Relations 87
Humanists and Transhumanists Debating Enhancement 88
The Posthuman Subject 100
Complexity: The Key to Understanding Human Becomings 108
viii Technology, Media Literacy, and the Human Subject
Part II: Developing a Posthuman Approach: A Framework and
Instrument
5. Developing the Intrasubjective Mediating Framework 123
Situating the Intrasubjective Mediating Framework 124
Intrasubjective Mediation 127
The Intrasubjective Mediating Framework 129
Intrasubjective Mediation: A Dance of Complexity 154
Concluding Thoughts 158
6. Developing an Instrument to Leverage the Framework 165
Creating the Instrument 166
Identifying the Multiplicity of Relations 167
Generalizing the Framework and Instrument for Media Literacy 186
Concluding Thoughts 197
7. Conclusion 201
Summary of Main Findings 201
Strengths and Weaknesses of the Study 204
Recommendations 206
Final Thoughts 210
References 213
List of Tables and Illustrations 239
Index 243
Acknowledgements
Writing this book made it abundantly clear to me how very un-solitary
the process of writing is. This is not a work by an ‘individual’, but rather
an assemblage of people, ideas, collaborations, support, and love from
both humans and non-humans. Two people who have had a major hand
in shaping this book—Yoni Van Den Eede and Joke Bauwens—were
generous in both their support and criticism, encouraging my diverse
interests while also gently keeping me from veering too far off my own
path. Their critical feedback has been invaluable in keeping my words
and ideas on track. I am also indebted to my colleagues Cathy Adams,
Alberto Romele, Laurence Claeys, and Marc Van Den Bossche for their
insightful feedback and guidance in the shaping of this work.
I am deeply grateful to my wife, Marieke, who has supported me
emotionally, financially, and academically. From her authentically loving
self to her brilliance as an editor, she has encouraged me throughout this
adventure. I also thank my children, Eli and Georgia, for their support
and encouragement for me to leave the country for four-plus years
in order to pursue my dream of living overseas. As well, I thank my
parents and extended parents (Erlene and Robert, Bill and Charlie, and
Helene and Donald), whose love, upbringing, friendship, and continual
financial support have helped immensely. I am also blessed with two
wonderful siblings, Mark who courageously and creatively also has
leaped into the unknown and followed his entrepreneurial dreams,
and LJ whose own passion for living an authentic life, as well as their
academic brilliance, inspire me and give me confidence to pursue my
own eclectic interests whole-heartedly. I am also indebted to my cousin
Teri and her son Colby for rescuing me with some last minute design
work.
I thank my wonderful colleagues in several research departments
(CEMESO/ECHO and ETHU) at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel as well
