noitCARetni-interACTion

What is New Media??

First question to be answered on my blog!!

1. In “What is New Media?” Lev Manovich proposes 5 principles of new media: numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability, and transcoding. Choose an example that you consider to be “new media”, and describe it in terms of these principles. What implications do these principles have for narrative and play within interactive media?

Firstly, i must admit that i am still trying to figure this out. The term New Media seems so clear and yet so vague all at the same time. Just as i think that i am about to understand it, it starts to slip away... :( I find all the categorization a little challenging. In any case, i shall attempt to answer this question..and if i dream up something that makes more sense than this, i shall return to edit my post.. hehz

New Media. Can MSN Messenger be considered New Media? It seems more like a new communication means... but can it not be considered part of the internet too? (someone save me!) hmm..with reference to the definition of new media from http://searchwebservices.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid26_gci213507,00.html (i thought it'd be good for me to refer to another defintion to get a better understanding of the term), i am inclined to believe that the online community - Friendster is a form of new media. After all, it does represent a convergence of computing and media technologies such as digital photographs, video, sound.

Alright, to describe it in terms of the 5 principles which Lev Manovich raised. Here goes:

a. Numerical Representation

Firstly, all types of 'new media', whether its pictures, text or videos or music, must be translated into 1s and 0s. To put it differently, for example to have a picture on the screen, a picture is first transcoded into some code which a program can read to open the file, and those codes are then transcoded into 1s and 0s by the computer. Therefore, to come up with an online committee such as friendster, lots of programming work and coding needs to be done. These will then be understood by the computer in its numerical representation. Therefore, my example here satisfy the first principle proposed by Manovich. (yay!)

b. Modularity

Okie..now, to tackle Modularity. Recalling what Manovich means when he used the term modularity, we can safely say that Friendster is a collection of discrete elements. Friendster offers the option of displaying one's pictures, media clips and sound(i think). Even messages too! They are all elements that are stored independently of one another and can be modified without having to change the rest. In fact, the above mentioned are themselves represented as collections of discrete samples. This all ties in with his definition of modularity. I quote Manovich, "In short, a new media object consists of independent parts, each of which consists of smaller independent parts, and so on, down to the level of the smallest 'atoms' ".

c. Automation

Hmm... can the automatic updates of friends' information pass off for this? Even the option of the sending of emails to one's email account to remind oneself of someone's birthday is automated. It also automatically generates information with regards to friends' bulletin, profiles etc for one's perusal upon reaching the webpage.

d. Variability

Friendster allows for variablity. Users are able to decide on the information,media, sound, pictures, that they want to put on the website. The top searches, ads are not fixed either and can change with time. The content on each friendster webpage is therefore specific to an individual as the content varies.

e. Transcoding

This involves the notion that the images or words being displayed have been translated from a different kind of language. Manovich cites the example of the images displayed on our screens, as though they appear to be words or pictures, there is code and things far less accessible to the normal person behind those normal images. This ties in with what was mentioned in point A. We have a blend of human and computer meanings in the sense that what appears comprehensible and meaningful to us is also represented in the computer's own language. As such, both user and computer understands it.

so what implications do these principles have for narrative and play within interactive media? I believe that all of them combined, work towards the provision of choices to the user. It also presents information which the user as well as computer, can instinctively understand.

posted by shamanthayan @ 8:33 AM