Lines of Sight in the “Network Society”: Simulation, Art Education, and a Digital Visual Culture

Abstract

Contemporary societies are in the process of developing digital technological networks that simultaneously result in their transformation. The operations of networked computer systems, based in forms of simulation, have shifted general notions of visuality within a visual culture. Practices in art education that address these contemporary developments should be able to respond to the current forms of visuality being created in a variety of educational spaces—both actual and virtual.

In this article, I identify three theoretical ‘lines of sight’ that represent contemporary forms of vision related to the use of networked digital technologies—specifically the Internet. These critical aesthetic tactics of individuals and collectives point to possibilities for adapting similar approaches in art educational spaces, making connections between curriculum and pedagogy, new media theory, and contemporary sociology, forming the matrix of a digital visual culture.