The App That Does Nothing

Posted June 14, 2017

External Article: The Atlantic

Ian Bogost, professor in the School of Literature, Media, and Communication, wrote “The App That Does Nothing” for The Atlantic.

Excerpt:

Binky is an app that does everything an app is expected to do. It’s got posts. It’s got likes. It’s got comments. It’s got the infinitely scrolling timeline found in all social apps, from Facebook to Twitter, Instagram to Snapchat.

I open it and start scrolling. Images of people, foods, and objects appear on and then vanish off the screen. Solar cooker. B.F. Skinner. Shoes. Marmalade. Sports Bra. Michael Jackson. Ganesha. Aurora Borealis. These are “binks,” the name for posts on Binky.

For the full article, read here.

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Ian Bogost