Become a Cyborg: Humans are outdated.

Image simulations or computer manipulation is suspect to the concept of “truth.” Simply framing a composition manipulates an image through the process of interpretation and authorship; cropping out surrounding imagery to anchor the semiotics. However, how has this manipulated our cultural understandings online? Furthermore, how do 'we' as a culture '[re-]invent' (Shaw, 2008, p.81) previous conceptions of embodiment in order to participate in an uprising online cultural development? Stiegler suggests that the 'human' (Stiegler, 1998, p.141) has re-appropriated social linguistics as he “invents himself in the technical by inventing the tool – by becoming exteriorised techno-logically.” (Stiegler, 1998, p.141) Contemporary culture is pivoted by upgrade; an unwearying perception of never becoming the 'ideal.' We continue to develop knowledge and understanding, continuously improving previous work; the 'previous work' of Shaw's influence being the body. In opposition to what is referred to as the 'docile' body; one of which is manipulated, shaped [and] trained' so that it 'obeys, responds, becomes skilful and increases forces', (Foucault, 1991 [1977], p.136) Western culture recognizes media as a cultural object - we don't want the physical exertion of repetitious work, instead we wish to work with computer based skills.

This brings forth a selection of epistemological questions: Is access to infinite amounts of information on the web instead of the 'human' mind (Stiegler, 1998, p.141) “dumbing down” culture? Is this perhaps artificial intelligence? Marx insists '[m]achinery is put to a wrong use, with the object of transforming the workman, from his very childhood, into part of a specialized machine', (Marx, 1990 [1867], p.547) however surely using online sourcing as an influence can be seen as less derivative with 'participatory culture'; (Jenkins, 2006, p.) 'increased levels of audience participation, creative involvement and democracy.' (Creeber, 2009, p.20) 'Bodies are obsolete.' (Shaw, 2008, p.87) Instead of enforcing outdated repression against New Media as a propitious 'tool', surely it would be more valuable as a cultural to embrace it as a 'virtual body'? (Shaw, 2008, p.86) Data needs a new discourse; new rules and new conventions.

'By observing people who suffered from varying forms of ataxia – a breakdown in this communication resulting in a loss of control over the simple actions necessary to respond to stimulus from immediate environment', (Shaw, 2008, p.89) Weiner observed how machinery can now mimic the 'characteristic activities' (Wiener, 1948, p.8) of the body. Images can become completely constructed from pixels with no truth, indexicality or authorship. This has developed from manipulation of an image to simulation of an image. Images become remodelled, rendered and structures according to no substantial origin; for example user avatars need no aesthetic source. There is no documentary evidence that is pure of source; and this can furthermore become enforced for the 'user', giving attributes to an online experience which may not be 'truth' or physically possible outside their 'virtual body.' (Shaw, 2008, p.86)

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)

Foucault, M. Burchell, G. Gordon, C. Miller, P. (1991) 'The Foucault Effect: Studies in Governmentality'; (University of Chicago Press)

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

Marx, K. (1990) 'Capital: Volume 1: A Critique of Political Economy'; (Penguin Classics; Reprint edition)

Shaw, D. (2008) 'Technoculture: The Key Concepts'; (Oxford Berg Press)

Stiegler, B. (1998) 'Technics and Time, 1: The Fault of Epimetheus'; (Stanford: Stanford University Press).

Wiener, N. (1948) 'Cybernetics, Second Edition: or the Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine'; (Cambridge: The MIT Press; second edition)

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

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

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