*NOTE: Please post thoughts/reflections/responses on this post in the comments section.*
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Week 1: Introduction
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Required and Recommended
Readings
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Overview of the scope and purpose
of the course. Evaluation methods, including assignments and participation,
will be discussed..
What is "new" about
"new media"?
What are the characteristics, both
technical and social, of new media?
How does new media transform and
"remediate" earlier media practices?
This class will end with an
introduction to transliteracy which will help guide our thinking until we
delve further into transliteracy in week 9.
Key Questions & Ideas:
Some key questions to consider
during the first class:
★What is "new media
studies" and its relationship to the humanities and social sciences ?
★New Media Studies is a
transdisciplinary field of scholarly inquiry, what does this mean?
★How do different disciplines
approach the study of media?
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n Blogger.com
n “What is New Media”, Lev Manovich (https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcgraw-hill.co.uk%2Fopenup%2Fchapters%2F0335217109.pdf)
n “Transliterate spaces - Sue Thomas - 3Ts 2013: Transliteracy
from Cradle to Career,” Sue Thomas ) http://www.slideshare.net/suethomas/transliterate-spaces-sue-thomas-3ts-2013-transliteracy-from-cradle-to-career
n Starlee Kine, “The Creative Process: Episode 12,” http://www.lstudio.com/starlee-arthur-review/the-creative-process.html
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Alright, I guess I'll be the first to give it a go!
ReplyDeleteLev Manovich's article says that the computer–a machine designed to process large amounts of data–reconfigures images, sounds, ect. into new media. But he notes that, “there is no reason to privilege the computer as a machine for the exhibition and distribution of media over the computer as a tool for media production or as a media storage device” (Manovich, p. 5). He summarizes that new media can be described using a mathematical function and it can be manipulated/programmed (p.10).
Socha and Eber-Schmid write that new media is "everything related to the internet” and specifically that “new media is a way of organizing a cloud of technology, skills, and processes that change so quickly that it is impossible to fully define just what those tools and processes are.” Socha and Eber-Schmid point out the problem with the word “new”. Cell phones from the 1980s for example aren’t new, and neither is the television or books. They state that a defining characteristic of new media is "nesting" or a non-linear organization (hyperlinks).
When trying to define new media, it’s important to consider historical communication methods because “new media” remediates the “old media”. Wikipedia remediates the Encyclopedia, e-books remediate books, etc. The printing press was historically a new media, as where the photograph camera and movie camera and now these old media can be viewed in the context of new digital media. Based on Manovich's and Socha and Eber-Schmid's definitions of mathematical functions that are non-linear and programmable, I think the term “new media” might be interchangeable "digital media" since these defining qualities are found in both computers and on the Internet. It also mitigates the issue of constantly redefining what is considered “new”. However, the definition of new media will remain a revolving door due to the subjectivity of the word “new”.
New media is studied in a transdiciplinary (or multidisciplinary) way because it appears in all disciplines. All disciplines involve writing and reading, which are both types of literacies. New media comes with it’s own literacies (e.g. navigating web browsers) and these literacies will be applied differently in different disciplines so each discipline applies and researches new media to meet their specific needs.
Transliteracy is “The ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks” (Thomas, S. Joseph, C. Laccetti, J., et. al.). I think transliteracy is one of the most important aspects in studying new (digital) media because in order to understand the new media, we need to learn how to use it and to use it well for our own purposes.
Firstly, congratulations Nicole on being the first to post! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your summary of this week's readings. I would agree with you that transliteracy is a very important skill. Of course, we can argue whether it really is a new skill or rather that transliteracies have always appeared but now include using Twitter, using a trackpad/mouse and working with "born digital" texts.
I also think you've hit on a significant aspect of transliteracy (or digital literacy is we want google to find this conversation!): employing media for our own purposes. Exactly, we need to use tools for a specific purpose, almost like reader response theory - reading for your interpretation. However, I think it should be clear that there are levels of literacy. The better a reader (critical, transliterate etc...) the *more* we get. I'm thinking of inanimatealice.com which we'll be looking at later on. The more transliterate the reader, the more of the story and, eventually, the ending. If one is not adept at transliterate reading, the ending will never come.
I think transliteracy has been around for quite some time. The types of literacies are evolving with digital media.
DeleteI took an elective last term called "multimedia literacies" and we examined one narrative in multiple different media. We had lots of discussions and debates around the levels of literacy required to understand the narratives in different media. There were many times where some people in the class understood a lot more than others because they had higher levels of digital literacy in the medium we were looking at.
I also noticed that it had a lot to do with each person's willingness to learn and improve their digital literacy. Some were stubborn or carried pre-judgements that prevented them from learning to understand a narrative in a specific medium.
That's an interesting addition Nicole - that of one's willingness to learn. I think that goes for any *literacy* and what separates life-long learners from others.
DeleteI think the idea of transliteracy brings up a lot of interesting theories. I've been really interested in the "myth" of new media. Looking at the foundational work of Roland Barthes and his ideas about social semiotics, I think that as different new medias become more and more integrated or common place within society, so does the interpretation and understanding of how they should be used and the meaning generated from them.
DeleteNew media is defined as the shifting of all culture to digitized forms of production, distribution and communications; it is the convergence of computing and media technologies that were originally on different trajectories (Lev Manovich). New media represents a foundational shift in communications with global implications because every piece of digitized “new media” can be easily accessed, modified and distributed. New media studies explores this phenomenon which is directly impacting societies worldwide and hence humanities and social sciences.
ReplyDeleteIn the age of new media, we are no longer restricted by location. The world becomes much smaller: anyone with digital access can be reached and our cultures overlapped. Note the image of the African girl, presumably in a developing world location, with a mobile phone on Sue Thomas’ slideshare.
It’s no longer enough to be able to read and write on paper. We need to be advocating for computer hardware and skill sets to communicate across all relevant platforms including social media, video, and more. This raises questions for all learning institutions, governments and businesses about how to best deliver education and information for everyone from children to adults. Transliteracy offers options for those who are not linear learners. It’s no longer Deep Attention vs Hyper Attention (Hayles 2008); it’s just different learning. The question is how to best deliver it. In the bigger picture, it is my view that transliteracy is here: it has already become a requirement to participate and contribute to society.
I love that City of Edmonton got a New Media award! http://www.newmediaawards.org/webawards/2013/cityofedmonton.html
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DeleteHi Lynne,
DeleteThanks for your response to this week's readings. I found myself re-reading your comment several times. I'm thinking about your call for adequate education (those evolving skill-sets) and your note about hardware requirments. Interesting as this is something often overlooked by advocates. I'm thinking perhaps more specifically of haptics and HCI (human-computer interaction). Right now I'm using my imac and love the trackpad but even though I always liked the idea of it (in preference to the usual mouse), I did have to get used to it. It requires difference gestures and pressure. Does hardware also play a role in learning - in learning styles? What about AI, AR and products like the Pebble and Google Glass? And then of course that begs the question: who is qualified to teach us? Technology changes so swiftly how can anyone be an *expert* in all these areas (as often seems to be the assumption)? Would this be an expert transliterate? (I'm going to TM that!!!)
I found this week’s readings very interesting and a great introduction to the world of “new media”. I suppose that I spend my time, both personally and professionally, somewhere in between the worlds of old and new media. My “old media self” loves the craft, tactility and permanence of a printed pieces and my “new media self” loves the connection, interactivity, possibility of blogging and non-linear narratives.
ReplyDeleteAs authors Socha and Eber-Schmid articulate: “What distinguishes new media from traditional media is the digitization of content into bits.” The ability to manipulate, co-create and hyperlink content through technological means are other important characteristics of new media as it’s defined today (because it’s definition is always changing). As I understand it, ultimately new media technologies and content are inherently interactive, which is why TV and traditional print, (for example) are not considered “new media”. The word “interactivity” really helps to clarify the definition of new media in my mind.
With regards to the way in which new media studies is a transdisciplinary field, this field of study really does cross a number of different research boundaries. It affects sociological research in the way in which humans behave and interact with one another in a new media world. It also affects the disciplines of geography (connecting with a global world), economics (as a driver of economic engines) and computer sciences and mathematics (at the forefront of the hardware and software technologies that drive new media practices), among others. The area of new media studies contains depth and breadth of scope that spills into many alternate disciplines. I’m excited to see how we will see this unfold throughout the course!
Diana, thanks for sharing your thoughts. Interesting too that you touch on haptics - but in relation to *old* media. Yes, I also love books and (good) newspapers.
DeleteSocha and Eber-Schmid have their definition of new media - the digitization of contents into bits. I wonder though - that verb, digitization, is passive isn't it. Assuming the text already existed in a print format. For me, new media, is now, really about *born digital* work. Items, fictions, narratives, tweets, meet-ups, status updates, liking, congratulating (etc.) are all created digitally to be used digitally. There is no print predecessor. For me, today's understanding of transliteracy encompasses this too - to be properly or fully transliterate we must be able to adequately interact with born digital work.
Dr. Laccetti,
DeleteI wonder how much of the current new media could be considered born digital and not remediated? Particularly e-books. I've observed that most e-books (especially for adults) remediate printed books. There are examples of digital born interactive fiction, but the market still seems to be dominated by remediated print books. In terms of web content, I think we've finally reached a stage where website text, videos, images, etc. are being born digital. But in terms of narrative works, it seems that the majority of us are not very digitally literate yet...
Lev Manovich suggests that we are “in the middle of a new media revolution – the shift of all culture to a computer-mediated forms of production, distribution, and communication” (p. 5). He notes that unlike the printing press and photography where only one stage of cultural communication was impacted, “computer media revolution affects all stages of communication…and all type of media” (p.5). In the past, people needed to be literate in order to be involved in society. However now, with advancements in technology, it is no longer good enough for people to focus solely on the ability to read and write. New technology is forcing people to be transliterate such that they can read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media. Many organizations such as banks are no longer issuing print forms of documentation but rather they are sending out account balances and alerts via text messages. New media technology is transforming the way people live and interact. As Mandeep mentions, the key to success in this transitional period is finding the balance between the old and new ways of doing things.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your response Jonathan. I like that you mention banking as I just saw an ad (while catching a British show: Sherlock!!!) about the changing face of banking. Taking a photo and uploading it to your bank is all you need. But, who writes cheques these days? They are usually so occasional, perhaps a digital cheque is really what's required now?
DeleteI wonder too if the key to success is finding the balance or whether it's us as users who need to keep abreast of how to communicate/interact with these changes. We are the ones who will need to get that mobile to take a photo to upload our picture of the cheque and recieve SMSes about our balance etc....But people do change and, as Nicole mentioned, we need to want to learn in order to be successful.
Aside: interesting statistics as mobile usage HUGE in developing countries: "mobile phone use in developing countries has surpassed that of developed areas" read more here
The term “new media” has been blessed (or cursed) by its self-descriptive nature. Its inherent newness, always changing and morphing, makes it hard to narrow down and define but at the same time, makes it easy to relate to as we all have at one time or another used media that was once upon a time … new.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of new media reminds me of the concept of contemporary art. Widely used decade after decade to describe art that is being created at the present time, when according to art history the term was first used in the early 1900s. The term new media much like modern art or contemporary art, are often used as descriptive adjectives more than cultural and historical movements.
For the purpose of clarity, let’s use Socha & Eber-Schmid’s definition of new media technologies as “digital, often having characteristics of being manipulated, networkable, dense, compressible, and interactive.” To which they add that new media as a field represents “limitless possibility for communication, for innovation, and education.”
It is precisely this “limitless possibility” that I find most interesting about new media as a field, because it demands a need to constantly reinvent ways of communicating and in doing so, it opens the door to experimentation and creativity. This allows us to make connections that didn’t exist before, to mix techniques and even to encourage interdisciplinary work among differing fields such as sciences and arts.
In her Transliterate Spaces presentation, Sue Thomas uses a beautiful quote from Marcel Proust to describe this search for new ways to communicate: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in making new landscapes but in having new eyes.” I like the idea that by connecting (or mixing) media we not only allow for less linear communication, but we also open our eyes to new perspectives on the same topic.
Sue Thomas talks about transliteracy, which is “the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks” (original definition from transliteracy.com). In this sense, is transliteracy a result of how we have learned to adapt to changing media? Or is it a skill that we now need to be able to communicate with others beyond our face-to-face encounters? Maybe both.
Andrea, thank you for your thoughtful response. I too find that Proust quote poignant and just so true. I like that idea too of limitless - yes! Not only is the creation limitless in type etc...but how we interact with and interpret works can be limitless.
DeleteThinking of the idea of no limits - it seems out of alignment to call these developments *new media*. It seems also instantly aging. Maybe something more like evolving media? Or is it all just media now?
Andrea,
DeleteI also had the same thoughts about the definition of new media in relation to contemporary art or modernism.
I enjoyed the readings this week as well. The quote from “What is New Media?” hit a cord with me. It states “Another important promise of new media is the “democratization” of the creation, publishing, distribution and consumption of media content.” For me, I think this really is the definition of New Media. The fact that everyone from all walks of life can participate and create online using different types of multimedia is a great equalizer. Plus the fact that everyone information that may have been limited to only certain organizations is now accessible to all.
ReplyDeleteI have heard the term democratization of information used by executives in reference to New Media, and I think this is actually quite amazing to see it in action, and also quite amazing that the corporate world is embracing forms of New Media for the sake of sharing information. I work for an online corporate training company, and last year at the start of a project with an international cosmetics firm, the CEO said to my group the he wanted the company’s new online courses and online knowledge portal to democratize the flow of information within the company. He wanted everyone to have access to company information such as breaking news, information about new products, and to be able to share ideas and techniques across the different regions by using their portal’s blog and instant messaging. Today this company has had a lot of success in sharing information and ideas through New Media.
I agree Natasha, the "democratization" element is what makes new media so powerful and have such an impact in our society. I keep remembering Clary Shirky and "Here Comes Everybody." We now have the option to share and receive information from many different sources. We can question issues and see them from different perspectives.
DeleteI think it was in Dr. Gow's class at our first spring institute that we talked about New Media and Journalism and how the advent of citizen bloggers was changing the need for journalists or the definition of a journalist. I think that discussion was a great starting point for how new media affects society in unexpected ways. If you look at the history of journalism (I'm using this example because of the BBC article), we see the affects of new media over the years, starting with the printing press, then the photograph, then the internet, then social media, and now high-speed mobile technology (which I think will also change the profession dramatically in the next few years). All this evolving media has dictated the direction of where and how journalist work, and what role they play in society.
ReplyDelete