This week we were introduced to new media. Eyman explains that it is seen as a field that can be complex and is usually always developing. It refers to more modern contexts and forms of digital media. Some examples include websites, videos, and any interactive media. It was also explained that scholars view the new media forms in different ways such as text, audio, and video. Some other scholars view and focus on the fact that it reshapes traditional media.
Bolter and Grusin discussed within these paragraphs that the new media essentially reshapes and reworks the old forms. It does this to create something in a new form that is innovative and modern. I mainly discussed this within my synthesis two paper where the world used to rely solely on newspapers. This is how we received our news and how we heard about current events. With the implementation of new technologies and media, now we can watch the news by the click of a button on a remote, or a simple tap on our mobile device to view the news.
Manovich’s List
Manovich also went on to further explain that he sees new media as completely different from older forms. He stated that there are five key principles that make it different. The first is numerical representation where the new media can be programmed a certain way. There is modularity where images for example can be combined without losing its sense of belonging. Next is automation where things can happen automatically. Variability says that new implementations aren’t fixed, there are many different forms. Last on the list is transcoding, where there are two layers one focusing on how media is processed and the next is how people interpret it, both have influence within each other.
Packer and Jordan’s List
Packer and Jordan have a list as well that differs from Manovich’s that focus on observable features compared to principles. The first is integration. Integration is where different forms of video and sound are interlinked. The second is interactivity where they say it makes users make their own selections and engage differently such as choosing different options in a video game. Hypermedia is next and this is where you can connect different forms all together such as links that display different information. Following hypermedia is immersion where it makes a person feel immersed in an experience such as virtual reality or 3D. Last is narrativity where there are nonlinear story forms.
New Media As A Whole
Overall, both lists serve as what mostly everyone believes to be considered new media. It is believed to be flexible and shaped by technology and culture. These traits all as one explain how new media is unique and individual.
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