This talk explores the concept of “application” as a critical practice for navigating a world increasingly dominated by algorithms, challenging the notion that users are merely passive and even timid consumers of technology. Drawing on the theme of “media anxieties,” Linseisen argues that application can serve as a site of resistance, fostering (self-)knowledge and thus agency. Tracing the etymological roots of “applicatio” in religious and legal contexts, the talk highlights its emancipatory potential and contrasts it with the more individualistic, (neo-)liberal concept of appropriation. By examining queer-feminist reinterpretations and contemporary uses of application in media, it underscores the transformative potential that users can wield even within algorithmic constraints, and the fears that accompany such a life of confinement. Ultimately, the talk argues for viewing application not as submission to rigid rules, but as a means of dynamic engagement with technology that enables individuals to promote sociality. This perspective invites a rethinking of our interactions with digital systems, transforming us from passive and emotionally restrained users to socially engaged in a life of coping with algorithms.
Elisa Linseisen is a Professor of Film and Media Studies at HfBK Hamburg. Previously, she was Professor of Digital and Audiovisual Media at the University of Hamburg, held a Visiting Professorship in the Department of Theater, Film, and Media Studies at the University of Vienna, and worked at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the University of Paderborn, and Bauhaus-Universität Weimar. She is a member of the board of the German Society for Media Studies and serves on the editorial board of Zeitschrift für Medienwissenschaft. Linseisen’s research focuses include format theory, the episteme of the digital, and queer computing.