The New Media Revolution

The trajectories of media and technology development have been parallel to one another and growing side by side, for many years. Eventually the two trajectories converged and brought about a shift in all our culture to computer-mediated forms of production. According to Manovich this cultural shift means we are living in the middle of a new media revolution. These developments then lead to new ways to both produce and consume the media in our lives. In comparison to both the printing press and photography revolution, this computer media revolution affects all stages of communication and types cultural communication. 

It is not surprising that these two trajectories have forever been parallel to one another. Manovich stated that “Mass media and data processing are the complimentary technologies of a modern mass society; they appear together and develop side by side, making this society possible.” (Monovich, 2002.p46). When the two finally meet “All existing media are translated into numerical data accessible for the computers. The result: graphics, moving images, sounds shapes, spaces and text become computable, i.e. simply another set of computer data. In short, media becomes new media.” (Monovich, 2002. p48).  Monovich developed five principles of new media; numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability and transcoding. Although he was keen to suggest that principles 3-5 are dependent on 1-2, and that these are not absolute laws, but merely general tendencies of culture undergoing computerization.

It is important to remember that new media differentiates to other forms of media due to the fact that it is digital. A newspaper is not new media, but an online document of the newspaper is. New media allows for the consumer to become an active part of it, instead of the former passive consuming such as watching a movie at a theatre. Now we can access movies on our laptops, and play games or interact in chatrooms that coincide with the film. 

New media and new media communications is evolving and thus its definitions evolve as well.

Bibliography

Manovich, L (2002) What is New Media and Principles of New Media From The Language of New Meida