ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses central terms like ‘information’ and ‘order’, and it proposes the concept of ‘engine’ to point toward the infrastructural embeddings that have allowed techniques initially conceived for document retrieval to become pervasive mediators in online environments. While this book constitutes a humanistic exploration of technical substances rather than their practical application, the chapter pays tribute to the fact that the techniques under scrutiny have become prevalent in a specific situation, in this world and not another. To this end, the chapter discusses three critical trends: computerization, information overload, and social diversification.
