New Media & Multimedia
In this week’s reading of Doug Eymans “Defining and Locating Digital Rhetoric”, we were introduced to the term new media. It is difficult to have one set definition when things are constantly evolving. But, Eyman refers to it as a complex field that is always developing. This includes things such as video/audio, websites, interactive media, etc. New media provides us with the ability to interact and communicate in the online world. Cynthia Selfe considers new media to be equivalent to multimedia. She defines new media as “texts created primarily in digital environments, composed in multiple media (e.g., film, video, audio, among others), and designed for presentation and exchange in digital venues” (Eyman 2015). This is similar to Packer and Jordan’s description of multimedia. “While not all computer-based media is multimedia, today’s multimedia starts with the computer, and takes the greatest advantage of the computer’s capability for personal expression” (Eyman 2015).
Principles of New Media
Lev Manovich, Randall Packer, and Ken Jordan all had different perspectives of suitable principles to describe new media. Manovich claimed that the foundation for new media is accessible numerical data. He stated five key principles for this. They are numerical representation, referring to programming new media. Modularity, which helps to keep a sense of belonging. Automation, which is exactly what it sounds like, things automatically happening. Then variability, meaning implementations come in different forms. And lastly transcoding, where you evaluate how new media is processed and how people interpret it.
On the other hand, Packer and Jordan had a different notion. They believed there are five principles that make up new media. First is integration, where video and sound are interlinked. Interactivity, where users can make their own selections and engage with a game for example. Hypermedia, where different forms of media connect together. Immersion, where it provides the person with an immersed sensation, and narrativity which provides story forms.
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