The word "objecthood," by virtue of the contained suffix, can be
defined as the condition of being an object, or the object
condition. "-hood" derives from a distinct noun, which had the
meaning of "person, sex, and state or condition," which was
applied to other nouns. The meaning of "objecthood" then depends
on the meaning of the word "object." The relevant definition of
the word is: "Something placed before the eyes, or presented to
the sight or other sense; an individual thing seen or perceived,
or that may be seen or perceived; a material thing" (OED) [See
perception, senses.] The term in its broadness presents a
problem to media theorists. How is it that some objects can be
classified with, or viewed with special significance at the
exclusion of all other objects? More specifically, under what
conditions are objects declared art objects, and under what
conditions do they remain The specific word "objecthood" relates
to theories of media via Michael Fried's reliance on the term in
his art theory and crit