“It’s the system that transforms the book from isolated vessel for text into a shared interface” (Mod).
Mod’s ideas about post-artifact books and publishing are interesting, if not a bit hard to digest. What stood out to me was his description of post-artifact publishing and how marginalia are essentially side notes and thoughts (Mod). I didn’t truly grasp what he meant until I reviewed the text, but marginalia really is similar to how many people can interact with and view content online. It’s as he said, “a shared interface” (Mod).
When I was younger, I grew up with technology within arms reach. I spent a lot of time on the computer, both for video games, videos, news, and stories. I would consume more media digitally than physically as it was easier and faster to access. Some websites I would go to shared content or information and allowed user discussion, such as online news sites or story-sharing sites. As I understand it, these are examples of that shared interface. Mod further said, “Digital marginalia is a collective conversation, cumulative stratum” (Mod). This correlates with the websites I mentioned in that people can discuss things they read online with other readers. They can give reviews, highlight sections of interest, theorize, and otherwise talk with each other.
Works Cited
Mod, Craig. “Post-Artifact Books & Publishing.” CraigMod, June 2011, https://craigmod.com/journal/post_artifact/.