Design/Media Arts Histories

Design/Media Arts Histories

Prompt 1:  Write an essay about how users deploy the first three waves of media to create their social selves on the internet. In the Web 2.0 phase of the 4th Wave, what kinds of media do people upload, how do they reference and draw from earlier optical media, and how do their uses of media change and evolve?

Write an essay about how users deploy the first three waves of media to create their social selves on the internet.

First Wave. The first Wave involved the invention of photography, which has dominated the entertainment industry up to today. It consists in taking images of people, animals, and our surroundings. Susan Sontag emphasized that ‘to collect photographs is to collect the world. ( Sontag 4)

furthermore, you can take photos of anyone and anything and preserve the memory years to come. Susan went further and explained that the photograph furnishes evidence. That photograph never lies (Sontag 5). She concluded that recently photography had become widely practiced. With the new technologies, anybody with a smart mobile phone or access to the internet can take photos and share them with friends via the internet, specifically Facebook, Instagram, and emails. You can also store them on the internet. Today with digital photography, it is possible to edit and even enhance the photograph.

Second Wave.  The second Wave involves the invention of motion picture that is the cinema. This is an advancement from the photography. Cinema offers several possible pleasure; there is a circumstance in which looking at itself is a source of joy’ (Laura 835). Today in digital advancement, it is possible to watch the latest movies on YouTube. This has revolutionized the film industry. It is also possible to prepare for self some skits, funny videos, activities and upload them on YouTube, or share them with friends.

Third Wave. Third Wave involves television production. In 1951 the TV occupied almost every represented territory in the family home; it appeared in the living room, bedroom, kitchen, fun room, converted garage basement, the exact room had to be considered for its possible use as a TV zone. (Spig 76) Television was prevalent back then as it is today. It has progressed from cinema in theaters and found itself into homes. Station is said to bringing family together at home and emotionally be pulled toward the TV set. Today we are still emotionally attached to our TV sets, and luckily with the advancement in technology, we can download the programs and watch them later.

In the Web 2.0 phase of the 4th Wave, what kinds of media do people upload,  

The digital space has given people the opportunity to communicate and update to friends, relatives, social groups, different materials and information for educating, entertaining, and informing. Today people can upload photographs and videos they have made, the videos could be motivational, or even cooking recipes all this is possible ‘thank you’ to social media. The term social media refers to the use of web based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Social media takes on many different forms, including internet form with weblogs, social blogs, wikis, podcasts, photographs, and videos. (Dowerah 2)

It is more evident that social media, the like of Facebook, twitter, Orkut, MySpace, and Skype, are extensively used to pass information. ( Dowerah 2)

How do they reference and draw from earlier optical media, and how do their uses of media change and evolve?

Media over the years have changed considerably, from photography to motion picture, to Television, with the innovation of the internet. The invention of cable in the 1980s and the expansion of the internet in the 2000s opened up more options for media consumers than ever before. Viewers can watch nearly anything at the click of a button, bypass commercials, and record programs of interest.

Prompt 2:  Define “flow” in American Television as defined by Raymond Williams, and discuss how digital media differs from commercial broadcasting media and how they are similar.

According to Raymond William flow is the  ‘Analysis of the distribution of interest or categories in a broadcasting program,’ (William. 86),  this is how channels try to hold their audience from program to program. He further explains that’ This phenomenon, of planned flow, is then perhaps the defining characteristic of broadcasting, simultaneously as a technology and as a cultural form,’ (William 87) he created an insight of overall flow of broadcast schedule with it constant commercial breaks. He noted that there had been a significant shift from the concept of sequence as programming to the idea of course as flow. Yet this is difficult to see because the older idea of programming – the temporal series within which mix and proportion and balance operate – is still active and still, to some extent, real. (William 89)  as he was describing the American Television flow in programs, he stated that there is a particular kind of opening sequence, meant to excite interest, which is in effect a kind of trailer for itself. In American Television, after two or three minutes, this is succeeded by commercials (William 93)  In the United States it is already possible to begin watching at six o’clock in the morning, see one’s first movie at eight-thirty, and so on in a continuous flow, with the screen never blank, until the late film begins at one o’clock the following morning. (William 95)

How digital media differs from commercial broadcasting media

Nathan Jurgenson quoted that ‘I can take an ‘interesting’ photo of the perfectly-formed foam on top of my cappuccino. It is easy; I can do all of this and more from my phone in a matter of minutes. And, most importantly, there will be an audience for all of this. Hundreds of the people I am closest with will view all of this and some will reply with comments and “likes.” (Jurgenson 2)  Juegenson confirmed that the digital world is an open system, reach far and wide ,one can participate in the conversation unlike the commercial broadcasting where no direct feedback. His comment further explains that it is a two way conversation while the commercial broadcasting media is a one way conversation. There is real time creation in the digital media because of the quick feedbacks , there is also quick decision making unlike commercial broadcasting media where the company has to take a physical survey to get feedback.

Nathan Jurgenson further commented that ‘Today, social media means we are always traveling with the camera in our hands’ (metaphorically and often literally); we always can document. (Jurgenson 3) therefore there it relaying of first hand information even as it happens while the commercial broadcasting media will be past news as they are relayed.

Emerging methods and genres charts new ways of doing things using digital tools and platforms that extend traditional scholarly practices or devise would not do.( Burdick et al 4) the digital media has created fast and better ways of doing things that the commercial broadcasting media won’t do.

How digital media and commercial broadcasting media are similar.

Both the digital media and the commercial broadcasting provide information to the recipient, they are both a form of communication, they provide solutions on the information issues at hand.  Both are form of media that provide an advertising platform where companies can market their products. Commercial broadcasting provide platform to the digital media. They complement each other. (Nguyen, Western 4) In a broader context, we could then argue that different media as different content (information and/or entertainment) resources will coexist all media provide information and entertainment-related content, newspapers, for example, are more information-intensive (that is, offering both broad and in-depth content), which has substantially contributed to their survival in coping with their more entertainment-oriented broadcasting competitors. (Nguyen, Western 4)

Since different media could serve the same media-related need in a different way within a different context, all of them might be used by individuals who experience a high level of that need. For example, people with a strong need for entertainment could seek entertainment content across all media, Internet adoption was not the cause of this change. In particular, they found not only that the internet had no adverse effect on the use of traditional news products, but also that Internet users were more likely than non-users in all age, income, education and sex groups to read newspapers and listen to radio news. (Nguyen, Western 5)

Prompt 3:  How do television and digital media both create and reflect social change? As a follow-up, if we accept the idea of the computer as our culture machine, can it help heal old wounds and make our culture “better,” i.e., more inclusive and equitable?

How do television and digital media create and reflect social change

Leo Bogart presented a summary of audience research on Television and claimed that social scientific survey presented that Television has had the effect of keeping the family at home to watch same programs (Spig 76). Moreover studies indicated that people believed TV strengthened family ties. A 1945 survey of an eastern city found that long term TV owners expressed ‘an awareness of an enhanced family solidarity (Spig 77)

It is evident from existing literature that new media technologies impact on the social interaction within households in many different ways. New media technologies can assist in increasing interaction amongst families by bringing generations and family members together On the other hand however, new media technologies within a household can lead to a growing privatization within family life, (McGrath 4 )

Facebook  depict the present as always a future past. By this I mean that social media users have become always aware of the present as something we can post online that will be consumed by others. Are we becoming so concerned about posting our lives on Facebook that we forget to live our lives in the here-and now (Jurgenson 5)

The medium, or process, of our time—electric technology—is reshaping and restructuring patterns of social interdependence and every aspect of our personal life.

It is forcing us to reconsider and reevaluate practically every thought, every action, and every institution formerly taken for granted. Everything is changing—you, your family, your neighborhood, your education, your job, your government, your relation to “the others.” And they’re changing dramatically. ( Mclughan 14)

As a follow-up, if we accept the idea of the computer as our culture machine, can it help heal old wounds and make our culture “better,” i.e., more inclusive and equitable?

Family circle has widened. The world pool of information fathered by electric media—movies, Telstar, flight far surpasses any possible influence mom and dad can now bring to bear. Character no longer is shaped by only two earnest, fumbling experts. Now all the world’s a sage.( Mclughan 15) there is free flow of information and anyone can access as along as they have a smart phone or internet. Mclughan was explaining that despite computer advancing sharing of information it has also affected the society in equal measures.

In conclusion. the world today with the advancement in technology has become a global village. The idea of computer and lately social media is a very useful tool that can make work easier, quick mode of passing information and receiving feedbacks, thus facilitating quick decision making and in the long run will create effectiveness and efficiency. However it can also be misused to bully people therefore laws and policy to facilitate smooth flow of information should be implemented by respective Governments.