This book investigates how the intersection of history, ecology, and digital infrastructure shapes our contemporary cultural condition. Sean Cubitt, a professor of film and media, utilizes his expertise in media theory to argue that the digital humanities must retain rigorous close-reading methodologies to navigate the anxieties of the Anthropocene. By examining the material reality of streaming media and image databases, the text provides a framework for understanding the hidden environmental and historical costs of our technological systems.

Scholars in media studies frequently highlight this work as a critical intervention in the discourse surrounding digital materiality and environmental ethics. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires a foundational understanding of media theory to fully engage with the author's arguments.