October 2, 2014

The Five Principles ofNew (or Digital) Media

As enumerated by Lev Manovich in The Language of New Media:1)Numerical Representation2)Modularity3)Automation4)Variability 5)Transcoding

Numerical Representation

Basically, what this means is that everything in digital media exists as code (literally reducable to binary code).Why is that important?

You tell me.

01001001011101000010000001101101011001010110000101101110011100110010000001110100011010000110000101110100001000000110000101101100011011000010000001110111011100100110100101110100011010010110111001100111001000000110100101110011001000000110111001101111011101110010000001100001011011000111001101101111001000000110010001100001011101000110000100101100001000000110000101101110011001000010000001101001011101000010000001100011011000010110111000100000011000100110010100100000011011010110000101101110011010010111000001110101011011000110000101110100011001010110010000100000011101110110100101110100011010000010000001100001011011000110110000100000011101000110100001100101001000000111010001110010011010010110001101101011011100110010000001101111011001100010000001100011011011110110110101110000011101010111010001100101011100100010000001100001011011100110010000100000011011010110000101100011011010000110100101101110011001010010000001110000011100100110111101100111011100100110000101101101011011010110100101101110011001110010000000101110

ModularityModularity refers to the ability of new media pieces to be taken as “pieces” and reassembled into different wholes.

For example, I can place a “widget” with my Twitter feed on my website, or on my desktop, or send it to my phone. It’s the same “twitter” content, but it fits into a nifty little “module” for reuse.

AutomationAutomation, in Manovich’s pentad, is the ability of software (or hardware) to allow for the manipulation of data using templates or other tools.

Quickmeme.com is an example. iMovie is an example.

Variability Variability means that there is more than one way to experience a new media creation.

Quick! Everyone go to Google. I know that Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on all six Chicago Bulls world championship teams. Find out who the other 3 starters were on the 1997-98 team.

TranscodingTranscoding is the conversion of something from one media to another. For example, I keep asking you to remember to save your Photoshop documents (PSDs) as .jpg or .png files. This is a transcoding action.

Transcoding has much deeper implications, however, for audio and video, since algorithms allow once huge raw media files to be compressed and shared (e.g. mp3 files)

These become important

As ways for us to consider the differences in writing, art, communication and consumption in digital culture.

How do you see these issues as having a profound impact on how we create and share?

Logo WorkshopPair off. Share your logo and your memo/letter.As you read the other person’s materials and look at the logo, look at the assignment sheet. Comment on how well they followed the directions and fulfilled the criteria.Also tell them the one thing you’d change if it was YOUR project to submit.Then rotate and share with another person.Then a third, time permitting.

For Tuesday:read: chapter 1 and 2 of Whitespace is

Not Your Enemy (linked from schedule)