Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye

Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye

This essay traces the recent history of 3D satellite animation from its military origins to its visibility in the civic sphere. Specifically, technologies unveiled in 2004 as Google Earth first received widespread public visibility in the television coverage of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. The es...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Roger Stahl
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Toronto Libraries 2010-02-01
Series:MediaTropes
Subjects:
biopolitics, war, satellite, journalism, media, military, visual rhetoric, Google Earth, Iraq
Online Access:http://www.mediatropes.com/index.php/Mediatropes/article/view/11945
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spelling doaj-8f74b43ef401415db515eb79e69d78d52020-11-25T01:12:57ZengUniversity of Toronto LibrariesMediaTropes1913-60052010-02-01226593Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic EyeRoger StahlThis essay traces the recent history of 3D satellite animation from its military origins to its visibility in the civic sphere. Specifically, technologies unveiled in 2004 as Google Earth first received widespread public visibility in the television coverage of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. The essay first maps the political economy of the “military-media-geotech” complex, focusing mainly on the coverage of the Iraq War as an nexus of interests. Second, the essay analyzes the aesthetic uses of 3D satellite animation on the news during this period, including how these imaging practices meshed with existing discourses such as the clean war, the weaponization of the civic gaze, and others. The essay concludes with thoughts regarding what these practices mean for the efficacy of the deliberative citizen, public life, and the meaning of war.http://www.mediatropes.com/index.php/Mediatropes/article/view/11945biopolitics, war, satellite, journalism, media, military, visual rhetoric, Google Earth, Iraq
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Roger Stahl
spellingShingle Roger Stahl
Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye
MediaTropes
biopolitics, war, satellite, journalism, media, military, visual rhetoric, Google Earth, Iraq
author_facet Roger Stahl
author_sort Roger Stahl
title Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye
title_short Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye
title_full Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye
title_fullStr Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye
title_full_unstemmed Becoming Bombs: 3D Animated Satellite Imagery and the Weaponization of the Civic Eye
title_sort becoming bombs: 3d animated satellite imagery and the weaponization of the civic eye
publisher University of Toronto Libraries
series MediaTropes
issn 1913-6005
publishDate 2010-02-01
description This essay traces the recent history of 3D satellite animation from its military origins to its visibility in the civic sphere. Specifically, technologies unveiled in 2004 as Google Earth first received widespread public visibility in the television coverage of the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. The essay first maps the political economy of the “military-media-geotech” complex, focusing mainly on the coverage of the Iraq War as an nexus of interests. Second, the essay analyzes the aesthetic uses of 3D satellite animation on the news during this period, including how these imaging practices meshed with existing discourses such as the clean war, the weaponization of the civic gaze, and others. The essay concludes with thoughts regarding what these practices mean for the efficacy of the deliberative citizen, public life, and the meaning of war.
topic biopolitics, war, satellite, journalism, media, military, visual rhetoric, Google Earth, Iraq
url http://www.mediatropes.com/index.php/Mediatropes/article/view/11945
work_keys_str_mv AT rogerstahl becomingbombs3danimatedsatelliteimageryandtheweaponizationoftheciviceye
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