Introduction

This chapter discusses computational aspects of the digital economy from a Post-Cognitivist, "digital humanities" perspective. Although new forms of formal or codifiable knowledge are a rapidly developing feature of the digital economy, tacitness and visceral modes of perception will continue to operate as drivers of competitive advantage. Those conducting research into cultural aspects of the new digital economy and the role of the creative industries often draw on Pierre Bourdieu's conceptions of symbolic capital, which allows them to distinguish between dominant and subservient forms of communicative and cultural capability. The chapter demonstrates the precise relationship holding between Diagrammatic Reasoning (DR) and the diverse range of computational processes that characterize the operation of Ubiquitous Computing Systems in the digital economy. It reviews Charles Sanders Peirce's conception of DR within the wider context of his pragmatic conception of semiotics. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.