The Concept of Remediation

One of the defining characteristic that distinguishes between an old media & a new media is the concept of ''interactivity''.

Remediation is a concept which uses interactivity (virtual reality, photo realistic graphics) at base, and uses historical genealogies as its defining characteristics (painting of the renaissance time, photography of the 18th century).

Defined by Paul levinson as the “anthropotropic” process by which new media technologies improve upon or remedy prior technologies. We define the term differently, using it to mean the formal logic by which new media refashion prior media forms.

This is explained under its two components, namely Immediacy & Hypermediacy.

Concept of Immediacy

'' A style of visual representation whose goal is to make the viewer forget the presence of the medium... and believe that he is in presence of the object of representation.'' (Bolter & Grusin, 1999)

Well, digital images are more lively and very attractive and at the same time very exciting & realistic too, than mere representation of texts on computer hence the need of Immediacy.
'' .... video conference will led to more effective communication than a telephone call.'' (Bolter & Grusin, 1999)





For example, in FIFA Video games, the effect of immediacy has been observed. The use of 3-D cameras, digitization & overall representation makes you forget the presence of medium. In this picture, it seems like a real field, with fans cheering the team & a real-like tackle is going on.

Concept of Hypermediacy

'' A style of visual presentation whose goal is to remind the viewer of the medium'' . (Bolter & Grusin, 1999)

The proliferation of multiple media (text, graphics, animation, videos ) using hyper textual organization is the key logic used behind Hypermediacy.





For example , in Football Manager video game, the user is continuously reminded of the medium he is in. The multiple pop-ups , the texts appearing on the window keeps the mind engaged in the fact that someone is actually playing a game only.

Immediacy desires to provide a window through a live event while Hypermediacy's concern with the multiple media makes the viewer of the different windows used to achieve the mediated experience.

It has to be noted however that complete Immediacy is never possible because the trace of the media is always present, likewise complete hypermediacy is not desirable either. They are not mutually exclusive, rather they are tenants of media forms which rely upon both logics to heighten the viewer's experience of the event as authentic.

For example, a live cricket match broad casted is an example of immediacy, however from the logic of hypermediacy, these are viewed in a tele, broad casted on a studio with score updates at the end, reporter covering the match, and there is an additional web address for the viewer who wants additional news item too.

From the perspective of social impact, Immediacy reverberates with a modern concern for order, unity and maintaining the control achieved through a unified, at times linear perspective and gaze, whereas, hypermediacy reverberates with post-modernity’s desire for fragmentation and the multiplication of perspectives that mutually deconstruct each other in a shifting glance. (http://seminar.net/index.php/reviews-hovedmeny-110/72-reviews/68-remediation-understanding-new-media-revisiting-a-classic)

Thus its very hard to say Immediacy is better or hypermediacy, in the end these are just 2 different logics drawn upon digital technologies.


Bibliography

1)http://seminar.net/index.php/reviews-hovedmeny-110/72-reviews/68-remediation-understanding-new-media-revisiting-a-classic
2) steven conway class slides

Cyber Space

‘’Cyber space is made up of ideas which are supposed to be the space where your consciousness is located when using computer technology on the internet...’’ – Neil Postman (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49rcVQ1vFAY )(1)

Cyber space is a new medium of communication, rather electronic medium of communication, which threatens to replace the traditional modes of communication rapidly entering into everyday parlance.

Cyberspace has 2 major components. Firstly, we have the virtual reality. Here people ‘’enter’’ & ‘’move through’’. People are aware of the fact that they are in an imaginary space. This is very interesting as we have simultaneous co-existence of technology & man, for ex- the film THE MATRIX. The concept of virtual reality has been a major influence for the video game industry.

The 2^nd one, more feasible and utilitarian- ‘’The World Wide Web’’; the world of computers linked with cables & routers, which enables us to communicate, store & retrieve information. (2)

Space can be divided under certain facets like place, distance, route, size etc. In materialistic world we ask questions like ‘’where is the office?’’ – (For place), same can be applied in cyber space too (‘’where is the location of website in a server??’’). The best example can be the use of chat-rooms & sending emails in particular mail address. Similarly, size in cyber space can be related to the concepts of downloading files, memory of a computer etc.

The vanguards of Cyber space declare the democracy/independence of it. John Perry Burlow says- ‘’we are creating a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force or stations of birth....’’ (Steven Conway, ppt slides, class lecture). (3)

Barlovian concepts of Cyberspace deals with individualistic, libertarian society (utopian world) which is very similar to Habermas’s concept of ‘’Public sphere’’ where he calls for the ‘’refeudalisation of society’’ (boundaries between the state & society are blurred).

However, this burgeoning, rapid use of internet, technology, storage of data (‘’It is possible to attain immortality in cyber space, because there everything is DATA only’’ – Javi Peltola) are basically the weapons of empowerment. This, according to many thinkers for instance Baudrillard ‘’electronic communication’’ is a simulacrum, or an illusion of empowerment.

To quote- ‘’ Even when our media appear to exponentially increase communication, this is predicated, as Baudrillard suggests, on a separation from one's proximate environment and finds fulfillment only in so far as it simulates or promises that symbolic relationship they claim to promote but which their use actually replaces. Phone calls, for example, act not just as a means of communication but also as a means to avoid communication.’’ (Steven Conway, ppt slides, class lecture).

Javi Peltola said- ‘’Bodiless consciousness live there’’, however, back in the 90’s people perhaps forgot that every new forms of media evolves from the old concepts only. For them it was a revolution, completely out of the blue, a new discovery. Cyber space exhibits characteristics associated with theories like substantival, relational, Einsteinian etc. It throw us into an exciting realm of new medium which allows us to ‘’communicate, teach, learn & understand’’ in a better way.

Bibliography:-

1) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49rcVQ1vFAY )

Re Rebecca Byrant, What is space (pdf)

2

3) Steven Conway, power point, class lectures

4) David Hakken, Cyborgs@cyberspace, Routledge (Idea taken from few chapters of the book,ch-4(self identity in cyber space,pg-84, ch-5-The knowledge question in cyber space,pg-179)

introduction

Hello, to introduce myself, I am Saikat Mandal, a masters student of Media Arts, University of Bedfordshire. Being covered the subjects like Research Methods, Representations & Reality & Online
Media it was quite an excitement for me to take the subject of Media & cyberculture.

The wide range of cyber culture fascinates me, like the social & cultural aspects of SOCIAL NETWORKING, cyborgs, artificial intelligence, news, web 2.0 technology and finally the fascinating realm of Video Games.

Cultural studies is the study of cultural phenomenon in different societies. Cultural studies has its roots in identity, society, media & sub-cultures. The study centers around Ideology, ethnicity, class, gender & sexual orientation.

Cyberculture study deals with these cultural practices constructed with digital devices. It deals with the field of Cyborg, robot, virtual reality, web2.0, crowd sourcing etc.

In the next few weeks, I will try to explore some of the interesting aspects of cyberculture and will analyze its social & cultural importances.

Bibliography

1) steven conway lecture slides