New Neural issue #78 Voices, Humans, Machines is hot from the press + extra: the artist’s poster “VOICE_ERASE.PY” by Robin Rimbaud – Scanner, and the catalogue of the Sussurra Luce sound art festival

> https://neural.it/issues/neural-78-voices-humans-machines/

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Interviews:
Machine Listening
Tomomi Adachi
Erin Gee
Pedro Oliveira

#neuralmag #neuralmagazine #musicreview #electronicmusic #experimentalmusic #analoganddigital #soundart #netart #aiart #artificialintelligenceart #artandtechnology #artinstallation #artsci #artscience #artsciencetechnology #audiovisualart #digitalart #digitalcultures #mediaart #criticaltheory #mediatheory #newmediaart #technoculture #artmagazine #welovemagazines #arttech #artandtech #mediastudies

Thomas Meaney on Habermas

'It cannot be stressed enough how far the Frankfurt School of the 1960s was from the Marxism of the interwar period. The ‘Western Marxism’ of Frankfurt prided itself on retaining what it thought was living in the tradition – its dialectical method and style – while discarding its historical analysis, which it blamed for both the dangers of adventurism, from the March Action of 1921 to the Red Army Faction, and the political quietism of a left that passively expected history to work out for it'

#criticalTheory #philosophy

https://newleftreview.org/sidecar/posts/normcore?pc=1750

RE: https://indieweb.social/@alineblankertz/116284528245914761

A similar approach to ‘artybollox’ might be useful but would in no way dissuade participants from enthusiastically pursuing it, since it’s purpose is to assimilate corporate nonsense into a facsimile of critical discourse; which while sufficiently convincing to all willing participants in the uh ‘bait and switch’ is incomprehensible to anyone else - incomprehensible because there is no actively meaning to be had - just an exchange of signage #art #arttheory #artybollox #criticaltheory

'Distinguishing system critique from model evaluation is not a concession to hype: it means focusing on collective benefits and harms rather than individual uses. We can talk about what models cannot or should not do without denying what they *can* do'

#genAI #technology #criticalTheory

https://www.techpolicy.press/stochastic-flocks-and-the-critical-problem-of-useful-ai/

A capacity for rational dialogue?

“Democracy depends on the belief of the people that there is some scope left for collectively shaping a challenging future.” Jürgen Habermas

"His abiding concern was the state of democracy and the fear of backsliding into the exclusionary and violent social order..." >>
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/14/books/jurgen-habermas-dead.html
#PublicSphere #PublicDiscourse #communication #dialogue #nationalism #violence #democracy #CriticalTheory

Dichotomies in Media and Communication Theory

Bart Cammaerts

(Taylor & Francis, 27/02/2026 - 278 pages)

"This innovative textbook explores media and communication theory, and its intersections with social and political theory, through the prism of eight core dichotomies – communication/media, private/public, production/reception, material/symbolic, mainstream/alternative, abundance/scarcity, control/freedom, and virtual/real – revealing their complex interrelationships and significance in understanding contemporary media and communication landscapes.

Students will gain a nuanced understanding of media and communication theories by examining both sides of each dichotomy and their dynamic interplay. The book historicizes each concept pair, illustrates them with past and present examples, and demonstrates how competing paradigms often complement rather than contradict each other. This approach helps readers grasp theoretical complexity, recognize the democratic importance of media and communication, and develop critical thinking skills through engaging case studies and discussion questions in each chapter.

This textbook is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students taking media and communication theory courses. Instructors teaching critical media and communication theory will find the dichotomy-based approach particularly valuable for helping students navigate complex theoretical debates and understand the field's intellectual development. It will also be useful supplementary reading for specific topics within broader media studies programs."

https://books.google.pt/books?id=btitEQAAQBAJ

#MediaTheory #CommunicationTheory #MediaStudies #CriticalTheory