Unlocking the digital crypt: Exploring a framework for cryptographic reading and writing

Abstract

This article argues that we should take seriously Friedrich Kittler’s suggestion that we now live in a post-writing world. It is argued that much of this transition is due to the shift towards cryptographic writing. Shawn Rosenheim’s Cryptographic Imagination is briefly analyzed and critiqued; teasing out the many conceptual themes of that Rosenheim presents this article offers critique and analysis of this important work. As a way of rebuilding Rosenheim’s analysis, an original conceptualization of cryptography is also briefly sketched. Returning to Kittler’s suggestion, it is concluded that cryptographic writing performs an ordering role in our control society.