Dr. Paula Harper, Washington University in St. Louis, will deliver the talk “<loop>: Viral Musicking and the Aesthetics of Contagion” on Thursday, October 31, at 11 a.m. at Knapton Lecture. Dr. Harper’s presentation maps the circular structures of media and behavior that enable viral circulation, as well as the cyclical nature of digital viruses themselves. From the obnoxious lo-fi loops of GeoCities sites and WebRings, to a contemporary landscape of TikTok and silently-sonic .gifs, this talk explores how early-Internet necessity and limitation became aesthetic, and traces the spiraling interplays between platforms and participation through which content becomes contagion. For more information, contact Will Mason at [email protected].