Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media

In the 20th century, society had started to change as a result of modernism and industrialisation. The main concept of modernism is the scientific progression which occurred at the time- "modernism tended to challenge and revolutionise the religious mysticism of the pre-industrial world". (Creeber, 2009, p.11) During the mid 20th century, after the two World Wars, people were sick of light hearted media products such as comedy films that would have done well before the world wars, instead they turned to the likes of Film Noir. Art as well as film suffered a change as modernists "attempted to reflect the chaos and dislocation at the heart of the modernisation process." (Creeber, 2009, p.12) Mass production due to the industrial revolution was a target for modernist's views-as if it was denying any individuality. Henry Ford and his T. Fords were all exact copies- "any colour-as long as it's black". These were the first mass produced item and the idea of the factory line is still apparent today in technology- mobile phones for example. The iPhone 5 comes in black or white, the only way to personalise it is to get some sort of skin or case for it to make it your own. The Frankfurt School however, didn't think that it was just technology or Henry Ford's cars were mass produced to the point of standardisation, they applied it to all forms of media; "...where every television show, film, pulp novel, magazine, and so on were all identical." (Creeber, 2009, p.13)
Mass production led to a consumer society which in turn led to a "service-based economy" rather than a "manufacturing-based" (Creeber, 2009, p.13) This meant it was entirely based on consumption and so the media had a massive part to play in this. Instead of society blindly accepting whatever was given, they were now able to participate in the media. Henry Jenkins mentions this when he talks about convergence culture- "the term participatory culture contrasts with older notions of passive media spectatorship" (Jenkins, 2006, p.3)
However, this term has been the subject to argument- "To declare a system interactive is to endorse it with a magic power" (Espen Aarseth: 1997 p.48 in Creeber, 2009 p.20). 
There is still a lot of speculation with regards to New Media and whether it is all it appears to be, the only thing to do now is wait and watch as it unfolds.  



Bibliography

Creeber, Glen (2009) Digital Theory:Theorizing New Media, Open University Press

Film Noir- http://www.filmsite.org/filmnoir.html

Jenkins, Henry (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, New York University Press.

Digital Culture: Old and New

When looking at Digital Culture, Creeber approaches the matter from both side, old media and new media. Placing old media and modernism as a responds to the Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century and new media or postmodernism after that.

In terms of modernism, Creeber links it back to the works of the Frankfurt School, "a group of European Marxists who were struck with how American mass culture shared many similarities with the products of mass production" (Creeber, 2009, p12) Discussing their concept of standardisation, referencing Adorno's work on popular music, Creeber states how the concept of standardisation can be relevant to all aspects of the mass culture, keeping the masses "deluded in their opression by offering a form of homogenized and standardized culture" (Creeber, 2009, p13) If this were indeed the case then, culture as it was, was simply a repeating pattern with slight changes every time, similar television shows, films, magazines and novels. Also through the use of semiotics, signs could help unravel how the audience were being manipulated and also to "reveal whose realities are privileged and whose are suppressed" (Chandler, 2004 a:15 in Creeber, 2009, p14) Since most forms of media were "standardised" semiotics was a good way to analyse social standing, judging by how the signs were read.

Postmodernism, on the other hand, when focusing on semiotics, calls upon the idea of polysemy, meaning that texts could posses multiple meanings, rendering the modernist belief of one ideological meaning void, focusing on the signifier and the signified. Creeber focuses on the elements of new technologies like artificial intelligence and virtual reality, also on the aspect of "DIY citizenship" (Hartley, 1999: 177-85 in Creeber, 2009, p18) The ability to have a second identity, built on different conventions, allows the user to have themselves defined in different ways, contrasting with Creeber's view that "identity is primarily a matter of heritage" (Creeber, 2009, p18) Taking on Jenkin's view of participatory culture, websites like Youtube and Facebook highlight how the media is now open for interpretation, "the hypertextual 'cut' and 'paste' culture of New Media" (Creeber, 2009, p19)

Although there have been some changes from modernism to postmodernism, the idea behind postmodernism and new media still needs to be developed and explored more, in order to truly understand its influence and effect on other mediums.

Bibliography

Creeber, G (2009) Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, S (2009) Case Study; Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G and Royston, M (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media: Maidenstone: Open University Press

The Digital Divide

During the industrial revolution, modernism helped to ‘challenge the theocratic and God-centre notion of the world that helped to define human society in the past’, (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.11), and it was said that this was said to oppose ‘free thought and individuality’. (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.12) Modernism created an anxiety filled culture which was conveyed by many artists at the time through movements such as surrealism and abstract expressionists. (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.12) The Frankfurt School was a group of Marxists scholars, who also agreed with this idea and they would often relate ‘mass culture with aspects of Fordism’. (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.12) Henry Ford manufactured mass-produced cars which were affordable for the everyday American. This ‘Fordist philosophy’, (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.13), supported their view that this new mass culture was no longer offering ‘avant-garde’ (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.21) and high class society that they were once used to. These ‘industrialized products were designed to keep the masses deluded in their oppression by offering a form of homogenized and standardized culture’. (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.13) The audience during this era was said to be subservient, passive and susceptible to believing anything the media through at them. This was referred to as ‘the hypodermic needle model’ which the Frankfurt School completed research on. (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.13)

The ‘Structuralist movement’ argued that the ‘individual is shaped by sociological, psychological and linguistic structures’ (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.14) Backed up by Jacque Lacan, who states that, ‘language is an underlying structure, consisting of ‘signs’ and rules which govern the combination of sounds’, (Craib 1989, p.117) Ferdinand de Saussure and Charles Sanders Peirce used the idea of semiotics so that any text could contain certain signs that could be denoted by an audience in a certain way. The concept of semiotics is used to influence an audience to think a certain way about a text.

Postmodernism shows a cultural change where the audience are now consumers and ‘consumption and leisure now determine our experiences rather than work or production’, (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.15), much like that of the modernist society. This consumer society is now revealing new ways of using media and with the help of technological advances; there is a transformation from a passive culture of voyeurs to a much more engaged participatory society. The ‘Hypodermic needle model’ is no longer relevant as audiences now ‘resist ideological meaning’ (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.15) and texts are now becoming more ‘polysemic’. (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.15)

‘The production of meaning between text and its audience’, (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.16), is now re-imagined. This participatory culture remixes and redesigns the idea of personal identification, as seen on social networking site such as Facebook, where each person can ‘create our own complex, diverse and mainly faceted notions of personal identity’. (Creeber and Martin 2009, p.18) This New Media culture is interactive and part of a democratic society where everyone can have their say.

However, as Espen Aarseth advises, ‘to declare a system interactive is to endorse it with a magic power’. (Aarseth 1997, p.48)

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Bibliography

AARSETH, Espen J. (1997). Cybertext: Perspectives on Ergodic Literature. Maryland, Johns Hopkins University Press.

CRAIB, Ian (1989). Psychoanalysis and Social Theory. London, Harvester Wheatshead.

CREEBER, Glen and MARTIN, Royston (2009). Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media. In: Digital Cultures: Understanding the Media. Maidenstone, Open University Press, 11 - 22

Digital Culture: Theorizing New Media

Modernism and postmodern contexts alongside with theorist and methodologies of new media coincide, to attempt to define the development of old and new media throughout time. There is no set definition or definable split between Modernism and old, and Postmoderism and ‘new media’. Glen Creeber has taken the approach of analysing Digital Theory and the series of events which have taken place throughout this time which have contributed to the development of the media, technologies and overall cultural condition, giving a general rise to this postmodern, ‘new media’.

Creeber discusses how modernist’s believe industrialisation to be the enemy to individuality and unique cultures within society as the emergence of new technologies and sceientific theories within the media industry create a banal and derivative world, whereas with the example of art and the individuality artists create find a unique place in the market and take away the stain of an everyday, mass culture.

“As the growth of technology and science transformed our conception of society and ourselves, so artists and intellectuals sought new ways to represent and articulate the fragmentation of this ‘brave new world’.” (Creeber. G, Digital Theory, 2009. P12)

With reference to David Harvey’s take on this transformation being a ‘struggle’ for a unique or distinct creation within the world, he stated that this“…had to be an individual effort forged under competitive circumstances’ (emphasis in the original, 1990: 22). And it was partly modernism’s belief in the power of art and the artist to transform the world.” (Creeber. G, Digital Theory, 2009. P12)

A European Marxists point of view demonstrated during the early development of the media by ‘The Frankfurt School’ explored the mass culture and mass production within the media within America and concluded with media becoming a standardized product of industrialization and the culture industry becoming just as standard with no stimulation for individuality or uniqueness for audiences and a ‘Fordist’ mass production being a corrupting influence of mass culture. Everything these Marxist theorists analysed about the media appeared to becoming more and more identical such as TV shows, magazines etc.

“In particular, the context of modernism gives us a theoretical insight into the way in which the media was understood and the ideological impulses which inevitably influenced its critical theories.” (Creeber. G, Digital Theory, 2009. P14)

Structuralism and semiotics have let theorists understand the encoding and decoding of images and texts but more importantly enlightened how audience manipulation by these texts and through research has shown audiences as powerless and bombarded with mass media, making their wants and needs undefined and clouded by the constant injection by the messages of producers.

In conclusion, Creeber has shown a number of events to illustrate how the theories and methodologies associated with old and new media and by organizing modern and postmodern contexts has clarified that their indeed is no rupture between old and new media but simply a series of events giving rise to new media.

Bibliography

Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press

Digital culture and theory

The rise of the Digital culture of today was and still is a development and reaction of certain events throughout the life span of 'new' and 'old' media. Glen Creeber discusses how the effects of the development of old media and modernism to the rise of new media during a post-modernism period, which has lead to the Digital age being a product of all past cultural revolutions and is merely a stepping stone to the next cultural and media change. Looking at the events that inspired change between modernism and post-modernism Creeber shows how the technological changes and cultural conditions of the time periods made new media inevitable.

Early nineteenth century modernism was the start of how society reacted to cultural changes after the industrial revolution. This industrialization lead to the growth of mass culture and the tension between modernism and mass culture. Even though both rely on each other, during this modernism period people saw modernism as away to analysis the difference between high cultural society rather than the mass produced standardized society. Drawing upon the work of the Frankfurt school and their approach to mass culture, Creeber used their discussion on the fordist philosophy to show how the same method had effected different mediums and their products. Newspapers and television broadcasting had to adjust after the industrial revolution. BBC's John Reith argued "broadcasting should be used to defend 'high culture' aginst the degrading nature and influence of mass culture." (Creeber, 2009 p.13)

After the Frankfurt school the Structuralist movement used semiotics in combination with the work of Ferdinand de Saussure on linguistics, they helped analysis texts through a system of signs which is still used today. "by 'decoding' these 'signs', Semioticians could gradually unravel the means by which an audience were being manipulated." (Creeber, 2009, p.14) these helped show us how media was understood going into the start of the twentieth century/ post- modernism.

Post-modernism is most associated with the post-industrial economy change from a production-economy to a service-economy. Much like Margaret Thatchers approach to the British economy, this was due to the decline in heavy industry. With the economy changes, society changed to a consumer society which was enforced by the rise in technology and new media, this had its own effect on society. "consumption and leisure now determine our experiences rather than work and production. This means that consumer culture come to dominate the cultural sphere" (Creeber, 2009, p.15)

This shows that the advancement of new technology and the effects they had on culture and society gave way for the growth of new media and in turn has already gave way for more development in certain media branches, for the digital age to come.

Bibliography

Creeber,G. (2009) Digital theory: theorizing New Media. Berkshire. Open University Press.

New Media

Looking back on the history of old media there are a series of events, technologies and cultural conditions which gave rise to the concept of New Media.  Industrialization can essentially be looked upon with various opinions such as “the enemy of free thought and individuality; producing an essentially cold and soulless universe”. (Creeber, 2009, p.12)  Creeber believes that with the significant development and advance on technology it is having brutal effects on human life.
“Consumer culture dominates the cultural sphere that we live in”. (Creeber, 2009, p.14) Cultural changes are accepted as the inescapable due to our consumer society, where both consumption and leisure have become what clinch’s our experiences rather than work and production.
“Some critics have suggested that the differences between human and machine is now beginning to disappear, tending to eradicate the old ‘human’ versus ‘technology’ binary opposition upon which so much off the pessimistic theories of modernism were based” (Creeber, 2009, p.17)
Modernism tends to believe positively when it regards the power of modernity and to revolutionise human life for the better. Then modernism discerned modernity as self-contradictory due to the clash of it celebrating the technological age and an uncivilised disapproval of it.
We can select and approve which identity we want to adapt to. Creeber argues that with the significant increase in interactivity of New Media, consumers get to make their own identities. This is helped through websites like Facebook, twitter and MySpace where the user can create profiles where there is no filter to the content that is published, whereas in the past we were limited to things we do with our lives.
Andy Warhol’s pieces of work can be understood as basically ‘postmodern’. Warhol’s ‘Campbell’s soup cans’ (1962) disorganises the distinction by which we seen as “’art’ and products of ‘mass production’” (Creeber, 2009, p.17)

The Cyberdemocratic Network

“Modernism is the umbrella term we give to the way that human society responded to the changes that took place during the industrial revolution.” (Creeber, 2009, p11)

Through new media, we have changed the way we participate and consume media, in turn increasing the interactivity of audiences. This has caused a “remix culture” to form, blurring the lines between author and audience, original and replica. Creeber views this culture as “The hyper-textual ‘cut’ and ‘paste’ culture of New Media – that seemingly encourages sampling, poaching and remixing ” (Creeber, 2009, p19) this in turn according to him “produces not only copy-right problems, it also further confuses the very means by which we conceive of the media and its relationship with its audience.” (Creeber, 2009, p19)  The treasured “memes” of the internet are a perfect example of this remix culture, each meme is re-contextualised via each author, stemming from the merging of sub-cultures or ideas. The original author is lost, “The people who make and the people who watch are slowly becoming the same group” (Anon, 2011, 0:25) distance is no longer an issue as “things move back forth between different countries all the time, it’s so easy to” (Anon, 2011, 3:40).

“This increased interactivity among the New Media audience has also prompted some critics to suggest that there has even been an increased ‘democratization’ in the nature of New Media compared to old.” (Creeber, 2009, p20) This has resulted in the theory of the “Citizen Journal”. Multiple blogs and social networks document the everyday lives of millions of people portraying just one example of how ordinary people can become actively involved in the production of the media, therefore “moving power away from the ‘author’ into the hands of the ‘audience’” (Creeber, 2009, p20) This would have been the Frankfurt Schools nightmare, and I hardly imagine memes would live up to their idea “that only ‘high art’ (particularly a strain of it known as the ‘avant-garde’) could sustain the role of social and aesthetic criticism.” (Creeber, 2009, p12)

New media has given the consumer not only the ability to become the producer, but also the ability to have a say in the media. It gives each and every person a platform to share ideas and collaborate with others. Creeber even suggests “the Internet provides a ‘Habermasian public sphere’ – a cyberdemocratic network for communicating information and points of view that will eventually transform into public opinion. As voting on the Internet becomes more widespread so it may increase our democratic rights even further.” (Creeber, 2009, p20)

Bibliography

Anon, (2011), “Visual Culture Online, Off Book, PBS Arts” accessible at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL7R9CjkxjY&noredirect=1

Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubbit D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press

Modern and Post Modernism

Glen Creeber has analysed and examined the modern and post modern media through schools, theories and methodologies. Modernism refers to the early start of industry evolution which began at the end of the nineteenth century. During this time The Frankfurt School perceived the media as a standardised product and they believed that audiences passively consume the media. According to Adorno, who is involved in the school, he believes consumers crave 'standardised' culture products because they seem to validate lives that are themselves standardised. 

Post modernism refers to the changes that happened after the industry evolution. Post modernism includes the change in consumer culture and interactivity. Audience have began to create and control their own personal identity online. Harley calls this 'DIY Citizenship'. Consumers have began pick and choose how they wanted to represent themselves but also choosing what to discard and reject. This allows individuals to decide how they are defined "...rather than simply having to stick to the narrow and limited number of choices that once defined the past." (Hartley, 1999: 177–85). With this level of active participation, consumers become the producers as well as the receivers of New Media. Another example of power moving into consumers hands is 'Citizen Journalism'. Consumers become self made journalists as they write their own blogs, post comments online and share videos on topics of the days. 

These are positive examples as consumers are more involved with the media and can express their opinions. However, post modernism in New Media also has its disdvantages. For example, as the Internet is becoming increasing popular, people are relying on it more especially for communication. Face to face communication is being effected as people would rather email or message each other. "As more and more virtual communities come into being so some critics argue that real relationships and communities are being neglected; the one-to-one human contact on which civilization was based becoming increasingly redundant." (see Lister et al. 2003: 180–81). The Internet has also been accused of narrowing people's choices and it is encouraging them to be involved with unimportant media products such as low quality television programmes. 

In a media saturated world, the distinction between media and reality is becoming more unclear. What is represented in the media, consumers are treating as reality. Sean Cubitt believes that what is represented in the digital world is aesthetically different from what is provided by analogue. New Media represent audiences glossy images and limitless communication however "technological utopianism might suggest that New Media will automatically improve our world for the better, but our future well-being clearly lies in how and what we do with the choices we now have on offer." (Creeber, 2009 .p7)

Bibliography:


Creeber, G. 2009. DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) 

Digital Culture

“A post-industrial economy is one in which an economic transition has taken place from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy.”

Our cultural conditions have changed in the rise of the digital age. We saw mass manufacturing in the industrial age. Then we moved into the mass consumption particularly in the 80s and 90s of, the cinema, television, newspapers, magazines and so on. The Frankfurt school talked about Americanisation and saw American media like Henry ford’s production line, constantly turning out advertisements and celebrities to keep us dumbed down.  

This is constantly being spat out to the consumers but in resent years the consumer has got the chance to become the producer and the manufacture. The viewer has the chance to make content based on what they like from their bedroom. Now with the rise in the digital age we are beginning to manufacture software and code rather than heavy machinery we stay at home and work from computers rather than going to work everyday. 

The change of the cultural conditions has shown that modernism has the power to change life for the better. We don’t have to make products in factories anymore because we have machines to do it for us, then machines to make the machines. We as a culture are making things more and more easy so we can focus on more important things like new technology. Technology is ever evolving and we as the consumers have to push it forward. These cultural changes are the by-product of consumer society. 

Today leisure and consumption determine our experiences in life rather than having work and production experience in the industrial age. Today it is far more social. We can pick and choose what we want to do, see or even change identities to fit what we want and don’t want. In the past there was limited things you do with your life. Now we can exploder our interests and likes and build our lives around that. 

Glen Creeber and Royston Martin (2009). Digital Cultures. Berkshire: Open University Press. 

New Media is Born

When we look back on our history we can pick some events that helped form New Media, as we know it today. Through time we have seen media change as are technologies have developed and advanced. If we think of Marshall McLuhan's "Medium is the Message" and depicted how McLuhan explains each era of media. For example the Tribal, Detribalization, Retribalization era’s.

If we now think about what was happening in the world round the time as McLuhan puts it as the detribalization era. During this time we discovered how use different techniques such as Henry Fords product line to mass produce object faster and cheaper which then lead to the Industrial Revolution which was a period were these new manufacturing processes give rise to new media forms such as comics, and newspapers.

During what McLuhan calls the Retriblzation era we can see a cultural shift in our society, as old modernism ideologies were being push aside with new postmodernism’s idea. “So while modernism tended to search for meaning and truth, postmodernism appears to accept that the pursuit for such universal truth is futile.” (Creeber,2009, p.3) With these new postmodernism Idea we seen the rise of pop culture as we used new ways of thinking to mass-produce culturally products. For example Andy Warhol used these new ways in thinking to become one of leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. This is why Warhol’s work is often conceived as intrinsically.

During the Industrial Revolution we seen the necessary advancement in technologies through modernism cultural ideological values and new manufacturing processes to form a society where postmodernism values where a common thing. Through these new ideas we can see the foundations that new media have been set on. All new media content can be mass-produced at a click of a button, we have begun to simply pick what identities we want to adopt and what ones we want to reject. This allows the individual to decide how they define themselves rather than having to stick to the limited numbers of choices which are set out form are past events.

Glen Creeber and Royston Martin (2009). Digital Cultures. Berkshire: Open University Press. 3.

Death of the Author

Common misconception dictates that although texts can appear as an original concept, they are often the most derivative, with no innovation from aspects of other pioneering media. Using the work of others is a conceptual tool. It's a way of thinking, a way of operating. It's a process of artistic expression with 'increased levels of audience participation, creative involvement and democracy.'(Creeber, 2009, p.20) For example, internet Memes have become a subversion from the original text; re-contextualised from images adopted by internet sub-cultures, and re-appropriated according to context. But how has 'the hypertextual ‘cut’ and ‘paste’ culture of New Media – that seemingly encourages sampling' (Creeber, 2009, p.19) changed how theorists conceive Analogue and New Media? Producing 'copy- right problems, it also further confuses the very means by which we conceive of the media and its relationship with its audience.' (Creeber, 2009, p.19)

Creeber proposes individuals are 'manipulated'; 'shaped by sociological, psychological and linguistic structures over which they have little control.' (Creeber, 2009, p.14) This is due to the 'encoding' of semiotics within our culture, and the 'coherent methodology... of any text [becoming] read objectively' (Creeber, 2009, p.14) However, the encoded semiotic meaning adapts, coercing to the ways in which it is 'decoded' (by its receivers). (Hall, 1973, p.53) 'Rather than being a passive... consumption... is seen increasingly as an activity with its own practices.' (Creeber, 2009, p.19)

Digital culture gives rise to new practice; 'the content being constantly developed through self expression, conveying emotions.' (Anon, 2011, 2:15) Memes are a product of both post modernism and digital culture; 'technology... increased levels of audience participation, creative involvement and democracy.' (Creeber, 2009, p.20) Algorithms of sites such as Youtube allow you to argue against fair use law for the use of copyrighted media if presenting a point. Appropriation is appreciation, however the locking down of finances from distributing companies often results in the the removal of content online. 'Websites like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook appear to reflect this recent understanding of ‘participatory culture.’(Jenkins, 2008, p.3)' (Creeber, 2009, p.19) Birth of the reader has emerged from 'writing movements'. (Manovich, 2001, p.47) Meaning isn't locked into text, but interpreted though audiences, as remix develops into a political process.

Bibliography:

Anon, (2011), 'Visual Culture Online | Off Book | PBS Arts', Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL7R9CjkxjY

Creeber, G. (2009), 'Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D.' (2009) 'Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M'. (2009) 'Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone', Open University Press

Manovich, L. (2001), 'The Language of New Media', Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Jenkins, H. (2006), 'Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide', New York University Press

Hall, Stuart ([1973] 1980): 'Encoding/decoding'. In Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (Ed.): Culture, Media, Language: Working Papers in Cultural Studies, 1972-79 London: Hutchinson

Digital Aesthetics, Postmodernism, and Digital Ethics

Creeber (p.23) argues that digital aesthetics as one singular, unfragmented entity does not exist. Instead we are  told to think of aesthetics within a given context, and that each context has it's own properties. While we may know there is no consistent aesthetic amongst the entire digital domain, as elements of New Media they all follow Manovich's second principle of modularity,

"Manovich's principle of Modularity insists that the parts (of the digital domain) remain distinct from any larger whole into which they might be assembled."
(Creeber, p.28)

Meaning that any and all digital aesthetics can, but don't necessarily have to be, subject to the consequent properties. As Manovich states them (p.18-p.34), they are Automation, Variability, and Transcoding. While these properties enable New Media to engage the consumer to engage on new and exciting levels, they also can serve to further the digital divide between privileged users and regular users.

As Henry Jenkins says, "[c]orporations - and even individuals within corporate media - still exert greater power than any individual consumer or even aggregate of consumers." (2006, 3). With the power to automate production with limitless varying potential, censor or tailor make modular elements, and ultimately if done right have media embedded into our developing culture - is the celebration of postmodernism and New Media as engines driving consumer empowerment at the behest of "participation" justified?

"[W]hile modern societies were characteristically societies of discipline and post-modern societies of control, digital society is characterized by protocols, the invisible but ubiquitous codes which simultaneously enable and constrain what can and cannot be done in a given system, such as the Internet or indeed a given computer."
(Creeber, p.26)

It's arguable that the modularity, scale, and general obscurity of the composition of the digital domain and it's aesthetics, make it one of the most potent tools for controlling consumers. Take for example China, where strict censorship laws severely restrict the set of modules an individual could use to build or contribute to a New Media object.

These real world conditions give credence to the idea of a set of digital ethics, and give rise to many questions. The main question being, is participatory culture maintained to promote ideological values under the illusion of choice?



Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press

Manovich, L. (2001). The language of new media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

JENKINS, Henry (2006). Convergence Culture: where old and new media collide. New York; London, New York University Press.

New Media and the Audience

“As we have seen, the increased interactivity of audiences in a New Media context is also articulated in poststructuralist theory whose tendency is to conceive the audience as active participators in the creation of meaning.  Websites like YouTube, MySpace and Facebook appear to reflect this recent understanding of ‘participatory culture’; not only creating virtual communities but also allowing audiences to be ‘producers’ as well as ‘receivers’ of the media.” (Creeber, 2009, p.19)

 

In the above quote, Creeber discusses the role of the audience in the production and representation of New Media forms.  The forms Creeber has outlined such as YouTube or Facebook have only scratched the surface of what audiences input can impact in the creation of meaning in new media forms.  Twitter is becoming a more and more common method through which audiences can discuss television programmes as a sideline while they are watching live, and since the audience has done it regularly, shows such as The X Factor now show relevant hashtags on their broadcast in order to spur on the twitter discussion.  On the most recent series of The X Factor tweets are even read out to the judges live on air, this is a perfect, up to date example of how audience participation can affect how media forms are produced.

 

Another example of audience participation the Creeber outlines is online blogs which he describes as “Citizen Journalism”. (Creeber, 2009, p.20)  Citizen Journalism relates to the countless online blogs created by consumers as a means through which to review products, put across their individual political views, review television and movies, and so on.  This has allowed audiences to find unbiased reviews of films, games or television series which they are interested in.  Creeber goes on to describe this as “the increased ability of ‘ordinary’ people to become actively involved in the very production of the media; moving power away from the ‘author’ and into the hands of the ‘audience’. (Creeber, 2009, p.20) 

 

These aspects of new media have allowed for the consumers, or the audience, to have a louder voice and make them heard by the producers, or the author.  Because of this, New Media forms are of a higher level of production, they are more interactive, and more accessible.

 

Bibliography

Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press

Modernism

'Beginning approximately at the end of the nineteenth century, modernism is the umbrella term we give to the way that human society responded to the changes that took place during the industrial revolution' (Creeber, G. 2009 pg.2). Modernism give hope for the future but the devastating effects of science and the industrial revolution led way for the first and second world war. These world wars did have one good out come and that was that technology advanced so much that new forms of media had come to be. Although this was good many saw the opposite of this 'offering both a celebration of the technological age and a savage condemnation of it ' (Creeber, G. 2009 pg.2).

 

The fact that new forms of media were become more available to the public and more main stream brought about a divided in art culture. High society or the ‘avant-garde’ believed that mass media such as the cinema or comics were dumbing down low society or as they were often referred to ‘mindless’ mass culture. The avant-garde believed that there forms of high class art were for the smart ad the elite who would not follow the masses but think about what they saw. An example of this would be the famous 'Frankfurt School' who believed that American mass culture was more like Fordism. this is based of the principle that Hennery Ford had created an assembly line who meant that cars could be created faster and cheaper which meant they were more available to the public but because they were masses produced they were all exactly the same. this lead The Frankfurt School to believed that all mass culture such as comics the news paper and many other forms of media were the exact same they were just being recycled and sold on again. this was done to keep the masses diluted in there own worlds and not think about what they are taking in. An example of this would be the hypodermic needle theory. Figure one shows a depiction of this.

Figure one

Bibliography

Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press