Sensory-Inscribed Embodiment, Distraction, and "Disembodiment": A Critical Research Domain

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  In Roundtable Session: New Framings for Critical Media Research

Abstract

This study calls for the education research community to critically define “embodiment” amid its competing conceptualizations, including sensory‑inscribed embodiment, disembodiment, emplacement, and distraction. Using Photovoice with six students at a Hispanic Serving Institution, this research examined how smartphones and physical mobilities (walking, commuting) shape presence, belonging, and safety, indirectly contrasting and comparing our "media reality" with our physical one. Guided by Mobile Interface Theory (Farman, 2021), findings reveal embodiment as a layered phenomenon negotiated across virtual and physical spaces, challenging binary framings of connection versus distraction. We argue for a more robust understanding of embodiment within educational research, positioning it as essential for advancing theory, informing equitable institutional practices, and addressing how technologies and mobilities co‑produce student experiences in higher education.

Author

• S. Otto Khera, New Mexico State University