Benedikt Merkle

Benedikt Merkle is a researcher at Ruhr University Bochum's Chair of Virtual Humanities, affiliated with the Virtual Humanities Lab. His work bridges media theory, digital humanities, and software studies, with a focus on the cultural productivity of the Flash platform and its role in popularizing object-oriented programming. He has held research and coordination roles in projects like The New Real and the Collaborative Research Center 1187 'Media of Cooperation', and served as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Research Interests: Merkle explores the historical and theoretical dimensions of media, particularly the interplay between code and images, the transition of computing from 'calculator' to 'medium', and the ethical-aesthetic dynamics of Flash artifacts. His dissertation project analyzes Flash's archival potential for studying collective learning processes in interactive digital environments.

Scientific Awards:

• Fulbright Scholar (Doctoral Program)

Education: He holds a master's in Cultural Studies (Humboldt University Berlin) and a bachelor's in Media and Cultural Studies (University of Freiburg).