Remote Control

Name: Remote Control
Brand: Allen & Unwin
SKU: 9781623563110
Price: 21.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

By Caetlin Benson-Allott

Series: Object Lessons

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3.61

( 28 ratings, 4 reviews)

Summary

Remote Control by Caetlin Benson-Allott explores the history and cultural impact of the remote control, a device so familiar yet little understood. Tracing its evolution from the wired radio remotes of the 1920s to modern infrared and Apple remotes, the book reveals how this small gadget has transformed our interaction with media, family dynamics, and the experience of home life. Part of the Object Lessons series, it offers a fascinating look at the material and social life of an everyday object.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$21⁹⁹

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Remote Control

$21⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book suits readers interested in media studies, cultural history, technology, and those curious about how everyday objects influence society and personal habits.

"In association with Loyola University New Orleans, Georgia Tech Center for Media Studies"--Series title page.

A material, literary, and cultural exploration of how the remote control, a seemingly innocuous media accessory, impacts our perception and world-view.

Description

Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.

While we all use remote controls, we understand little about their history or their impact on our daily lives. Caetlin Benson-Allott looks back on the remote control’s material and cultural history to explain how such an innocuous media accessory has changed the way we occupy our houses, interact with our families, and experience the world. From the first wired radio remotes of the 1920s to infrared universal remotes, from the homemade TV controllers to the Apple Remote, remote controls shape our media devices and how we live with them.

Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.

Series: Object Lessons

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised by experts such as Jason Mittell and Michele White, the book is noted for its compelling history and insightful analysis of the remote control's role in shaping media practices and everyday life. It highlights the device’s paradoxical nature—both a convenience and a source of complexity—and its cultural significance as both technology and fantasy.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781623563110

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 January 2015

Country: United States

Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic

Illustration: 25 halftones

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 16.0mm

Width: 120.0mm

Height: 164.0mm

Weight: 180g

Pages: 184

Collections

Caetlin Benson-Allott Education & Reference Engineering, Technology & Agriculture Non-Fiction Series: Object Lessons

About the Author

Caetlin Benson-Allott is Associate Professor of English at Georgetown University, USA. She is the author of Killer Tapes and Shattered Screens: Video Spectatorship from VHS to File Sharing (University of California Press, 2013) and of a column on film and new media in Film Quarterly.