The readings in Module 1 of the syllabus for the New Media Narratives course explore the concept of new media and its relationship to storytelling, technology, and culture.
In "From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in the Early Web," Stevenson examines the history of social media and its origins in the early web, highlighting the key innovations and technologies that paved the way for today's social media platforms.
In "What is New Media," Manovich discusses the concept of new media and its relationship to traditional media forms, such as print, radio, and television. He argues that new media technologies, such as the internet and digital media, have fundamentally changed the way that we create and consume media, and have expanded the possibilities for storytelling and communication.
In "Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers," Sharples and Pérez y Pérez engage with the fascinating topic of computational creativity. This work examines whether and how computers can participate in creative writing, delving into the advancements in AI and machine learning. The authors explore the implications of computer-generated narratives and the evolving relationship between human and machine in the realm of storytelling. It's a thought-provoking read on the frontiers of artificial creativity.
Finally, in "Transliterate Spaces - Sue Thomas - 3Ts 2013: Transliteracy from Cradle to Career," Thomas discusses the concept of transliteracy and its relationship to new media technologies, arguing that the ability to move seamlessly between different media forms and platforms is essential for effective communication and storytelling in the digital age. Thomas emphasizes the importance of transliteracy in a digital age where boundaries between different forms of media are increasingly blurred. This resource is instrumental for understanding how digital literacy extends beyond traditional reading and writing, encompassing a wide range of media and communication formats, and is crucial for navigating the digital landscape.
Overall, the readings in Module 1 of the syllabus for the New Media Narratives course explore the concept of new media and its impact on storytelling, technology, and culture, and highlight the ways in which these developments are shaping the way that we communicate and share stories.
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ReplyDeleteStorytelling is an intrinsic human inclination that finds different ways of being expressed, depending on the era it belongs to. Gladis Batman outlines this in her eClass introduction, explaining how the first humans expressed themselves through, “Cuneiform, hieroglyphs, and early alphabets on stones or papyrus.”
ReplyDeleteToday, we have an abundance of forms that storytelling can take and endless platforms to live on, from written words on digital and print, to short and long form video content on TikTok and Youtube. Therefore, the idea of being able to, “…read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media…,” (Thomas, 2013) is particularly interesting from an advertising perspective because, as outlined by Manovich (2001), the ways in which we consume and produce media have fundamentally changed. For example, launching a “360 degree campaign” is now the standard because it doesn’t make sense to just target TV or social media or radio. As advertisers, we’re speaking to individuals who are consuming media everywhere at all times; they’re transliterate. Thus, creative agencies such as my own have developed roles such as “digital planner”: a digitally focused strategist who ideates with the overall strategy team on how to roll out a campaign’s communication across online and offline touchpoints.
When it comes to storytelling itself, it’s interesting to note that automating story writing dates back to the 1970s. (Sharples & Perez, 2022). In today’s context, I don’t view AI as a threat to storytellers because only humans can tell “tellable tales” which are authentic stories that make people feel. This is especially important for advertisers to keep in mind as they craft content and collaborate with influencers. As the lines between real life and virtual life become increasingly blurred (Stevenson, 2018), consumers are resonating with influencers who exude authentic energy – as if they’re listening to a friend they’d speak to in real life. Consequently, brands are opting for approachable content delivery such as the “Facetime” style, thereby collaborating with influencers, “…who lean into this authentic, intimate-feeling content [to] create a closer-knit community and stronger relationship with their audience,” as described in an article about 2024 influencer marketing.
My mini analysis of storytelling as it relates to advertising is only a snapshot in time. As new media emerges, today’s media landscape will be documented in pieces such as those written by Stevenson (2018) and we’ll continue to analyze how to communicate to transliterate consumers.
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Manovich, L. (2001). What is new media. The language of new media, 6, 1-15.
Spruch-Feiner, S. (2023, December 20). How influencer marketing will evolve in 2024, according to executives and creators. Glossy. https://www.glossy.co/pop/how-influencer-marketing-will-evolve-in-2024-according-to-executives-and-creators/
Stevenson, M. (2018), "From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in the Early Web.” Retrieved from https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:16611/
Thomas, S. (2013). Transliterate Spaces from Cradle to Career [PowerPoint slides]. SUNY Empire State College Center, De Montfort University
Module 1’s readings served as my introduction to the concept of communications and technology as an academic field. I was born in the odd quasi-space of the late 90s, standing on the cliff edge between Millenial and Gen Z, and therefore grew up enmeshed in social media and online marketplaces as a constant presence in my environment.
ReplyDelete“From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in the Early Web”, by Michael Stevenson was a fascinating step into this new field. Reading about the origins of the internet and the ideologies that influenced its path informed my own opinions about online spaces, and I found myself coming back to many passages that added proof to my own beliefs. I found myself coming back to a particular passage at the end of the second chapter, where a discussion of “cyberlibertarianism” (Stevenson, 17) and the problems it faced when encountering “traditional social issues like worker’s rights and social justice” (Stevenson, 17) connected with my own experiences in the realm of social media. I’ve often felt helpless in the face of modern “free market [technologies]” (Stevenson, 17) and the opportunity they offer for rampant online hate campaigns and burgeoning bigotry in the comment sections of various posts. Having reported vast amounts of comments for the aforementioned reasons– comments that blatantly violated the code of conduct for the sites in which they’re posted, a feeling of frustration and helplessness has grown within me as so few of these comments are actually removed. The act of reporting these comments– comments that the company’s own AI filters should regulate– was my proof that “such solutionism puts the onus [of combatting online abuse] on victims of abuse, and that [the companies themselves] do nothing to resolve the conflict” (Stevenson, 18). The passage of this reading was like an affirmation to me as a younger individual, that the emotions and frustration I have encountered in online spaces are shared amongst my peers, but most importantly, have been an issue with online social platforms since their conception.
The first chapter of “The Language of the New Media” by Lev Manovich, “What is New Media”, challenges the notion that new media is restricted to content that can be viewed on computers. Manovich proposes that new media revolution seeps beyond the screen into an almost organic context, influencing communication across cultures and societies. He discusses the “myth of interactivity” (Manovich, 55), further emphasizing the connection between computers and the human body, speaking on the similarities and differences between man and machine and the way different forms of “modern media and art… [place] new cognitive and physical demands on the viewer” (Manovich, 56). Similarly to Stevenson, Manovich pulls at the threads of the “onus on victims” that new media demands, further exemplifying the way that new media “[harnesses] mass user activity in a way to improve the overall product” (Stevenson, 32). When speaking about the beginnings of VR technology, we also see a connection to modern social media, where VR pioneer Jaron Lanier stated that VR “can take over human memory: “You can play back your memory through time and classify your memories in various ways. You’d be able to run back through the experiential places you’ve been in order to be able to find people, tools.”” (Manovich, 58). This anecdote and Stevenson’s recounting of “Wired ‘cafe’, where audiences could chat with digital culture celebrities” (Stevenson, 20) both harken to the modern concept of “stories”, a feature on many Meta apps that allow users a glimpse into the daily lives of those they follow, as well as an opportunity to share what would have previously been private, and perhaps intimate moments of their own.
Our third reading, “Can Computers Write Stories”, by Mike Sharples and Rafael Perez turns the corner into more recent decades, bringing forth discussion about AI and its uses in the creative environment. This is a topic in which I have a personal investment, as an individual with a degree in visual arts who has witnessed the number of human jobs that have been replaced by their “AI” counterparts. I find it interesting that our society has latched onto the moniker of “Artificial Intelligence” for computer programs such as Midjourney and ChatGPT, when we as a society, have come nowhere near achieving “true” artificial intelligence. As Raj Balasundaram, SVP of Artificial Intelligence at Emarsys, states, “True artificial intelligence is autonomous — it does not require human maintenance and works for you silently in the background.” (Balasundaram, 1). This is corroborated by Sharples and Perez when they state that “Klein’s program had a notion of plot, in its “murder flow-chart”, but it was very rigid” (Sharples & Perez, 3). Klein’s program, in this instance, can be compared to the widely-utilized ChatGPT service by OpenAI– both require human intervention, both in the input (by feeding the computer a selection of previously written text to inform its “creations”) and in the output, where human hands are required to configure the produced language into a form that is less “stilted and repetitive” (Sharples & Perez, 3).
DeleteThe final reading speaks further on the notion of collaboration, and the concept of “transliteracy” could be applied to this notion of communication between computer programs like ChatGPT and humans, and further by taking the results of such communication and relaying them to a broader audience, either orally, or through other online platforms such as social media. Thomas even touches on the concept of “Technobiophilia”, or “The innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes as they appear in technology” (Thomas, 39). This comparison between the organic and the inorganic exemplifies some of the anecdotes provided in Manovich’s “What is New Media”, calling back to how he describes technology as “internal mental processes” (Manovich, 58) and describes how “VR can take over human memory” (Manovich, 58). From my perspective, I believe that we as a social species need to be careful in what we choose to personify– attaching life and autonomy to objects that are influenced by human hands allows the creator behind the screen to wash their hands of any unethical or illegal productions made by the software they engineer. By implicating that our computers are organic, and inferring that they have their own consciousness and creativity, implies that the outputs they produce are not a direct result of biased inputs selectively chosen by their fallible human engineers.
Citations
Balasundaram, Raj. “What Is Real Artificial Intelligence: Characteristics of True AI.” Emarsys, 8 June 2023, emarsys.com/learn/blog/real-ai/#:~:text=True%20artificial%20intelligence%20is%20autonomous,inside%20of%20the%20platform.
Stevenson, M. (2018), From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in the Early Web https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:16611/
What is New Media, Lev Manovich, https://dss-edit.com/plu/Manovich-Lev_The_Language_of_the_New_Media.pdf
Sharples, M., & Pérez y Pérez, R. (2022). “Can a Computer Write a Story,” Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers (1st ed.). P. 1-13. Routledge. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.4324/9781003161431
Transliterate Spaces - Sue Thomas - 3Ts 2013: Transliteracy from Cradle to Career, Sue Thomas, 2013. http://www.slideshare.net/suethomas/transliterate-spaces-sue-thomas-3ts-2013-transliteracy-from-cradle-to-career?qid=8250bddc-9e00-45fd-917e-526d05482ce2&v=default&b=&from_search=1
This week's readings on new media narratives, particularly focusing on transliteracy, offer a profound insight into the evolving landscape of communication and storytelling. As a health communications specialist, I find the concept of transliteracy especially pertinent in the context of health education and awareness. "The ability to read, write, and interact across a range of platforms" is crucial in disseminating health information effectively to diverse audiences (Thomas, 2013).
ReplyDeleteThe Stevenson reading offers a pivotal understanding of social media's evolution, showing a progression from early web interactions to today's dynamic platforms which impact how we communicate and share information (Stevenson, 2018). This historical context is crucial in understanding the dynamic nature of social media and its continual evolution. This reading made me reflect on the benefits and challenges of social media evolution, which of them would be more dominant with time and to what extent it will continue to evolve. The evolution of these platforms not only offers new opportunities for engagement and storytelling but also presents challenges, such as maintaining authenticity and navigating privacy concerns (Streets, 2023). As social media continues to evolve, staying abreast of these trends and development is vital for effective communication and impact-making in any field. One must not only comprehend these changes but also anticipate future developments in these platforms to maintain relevance and efficacy. As a communications professional, recognizing these trends and adapting strategies accordingly is essential because of the rapid and ongoing changes in the digital landscape.
Lev Manovich's exploration of new media provides a framework to assess how these technologies can be used to create more engaging and accessible narratives (Lev Manovich, 2001). The interactive nature of new media aligns well with the need for dynamic and responsive communication strategies. Furthermore, the discussion on the evolution of storytelling in "Can a Computer Write a Story" by Sharples and Pérez (2022) offers an intriguing perspective on the use of AI in narrative creation and is a reminder that it's crucial to maintain the human touch and empathy inherent in human-related interactions.
Finally, Sue Thomas's work on transliteracy complements all this by emphasizing the need to be fluent across digital platforms and multiple media formats (Thomas, 2013). This is particularly relevant in communications, where the audience's literacy levels and access to various media can vary greatly and where reaching diverse audiences through appropriate platforms can significantly impact outcomes. The insights from the readings were useful in helping me understand the history and evolution of an increasingly digital world.
References
Lev Manovich. (2001). What is New Media. The Language of New Media. https://dss-edit.com/plu/Manovich-Lev_The_Language_of_the_New_Media.pdf
Sharples, M., & Pérez y Pérez, R. (2022). “Can a Computer Write a Story,” Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers (1st ed.). P. 1-13. Routledge. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.4324/9781003161431
Stevenson, M. (2018), From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in the Early Web https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:16611/
Streets, M. (2023, July 11). The history and evolution of social media explained. https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/feature/The-history-and-evolution-of-social-media-explained
Thomas, S. (2013, March 15). Transliterate spaces - Sue Thomas - 3Ts 2013: Transliteracy from Cradle to Career. www.slideshare.net. http://www.slideshare.net/suethomas/transliterate-spaces-sue-thomas-3ts-2013-transliteracy-from-cradle-to-career?qid=8250bddc-9e00-45fd-917e-526d05482ce2&v=default&b=&from_search=1
In this module, I would like to highlight the optimistic perspectives observed in the readings.
ReplyDeleteIn Michael Stevenson's book, as discussed by journalist Rheingold, argues that virtual communities could counteract the increasing individualization and atomization of society by fostering a sense of community and a gift economy where individuals help each other. Rheingold believed that these communities could revitalize democracy by offering a participatory alternative to mass media, which he criticized for being influenced by consumerism and partisanship. This view resonates with the missions of contemporary social media platforms like Facebook, which aim to connect people and enhance cultural understanding p.11-12
In "What is New Media," Manovich highlights that the computer media revolution differs from previous revolutions, such as those brought by the printing press and photography, in that it has a broad impact across all stages of communication and all types of media, including text, images, sounds, and spatial construction. p.19
Mike Sharples and Rafael Pérez y Pérez discuss how AI programs like GPT-3 can perform various writing tasks but lack common sense knowledge and the ability to understand and revise their work like human authors. However, they suggest that future AI programs could develop these abilities, potentially becoming powerful tools for creative writing. They argue for the development of AI-driven story machines and their potential to enhance creativity and storytelling, outlining three routes for designing successful story machines: language generation, rich story world creation, and modeling the mind of a creative author.
It is important to consider the opposing perspective highlighted in the title "That’s scary! Who needs professional writers when a computer can create a story in seconds?" This statement emphasizes the potential threat that AI-driven writing tools like GPT-3 pose to the traditional role of human writers. By showcasing the speed and capabilities of these AI programs, the author draws attention to the possibility that they could replace or diminish the need for human writers in certain contexts. This sets the stage for a discussion on the evolving role of technology in writing and its implications for human creativity and storytelling. p. 12-13
According to Sue Thomas, transliteracy is presented as aiming to move beyond debates about print versus digital by unifying all relevant literacies related to reading, writing, interaction, and culture across time and culture. Unlike other literacies that focus on specific areas, transliteracy is inclusive, encompassing all communication types without favoring one over the other.
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ReplyDeleteThe readings in module 1 discuss new media narratives from different aspects, leading me to think about the influences of new media on various parts of life. From my personal perspective, I would like to talk more about the third reading," Can a Computer Write a Story" by Milk Sharples and Rafael Perez. In the reading, the authors discuss the history and development of computers engaging in creative writing, which is also closely related to the current widespread AI phenomenon. As Sharples and Perez (2022) mentioned, the computer possesses neither common-sense knowledge about the world nor understanding of the meaning of the content it creates. Sometimes, AI drawings randomly generate something that looks rational at a rough look but very weird or even scary at a closer look. I clearly remembered that in one AI-generated picture, the characters' eyes looked normal in general, but when I looked closely, I realized that the white part of the eyes was made up of white streaks (just like worms). Honestly, I was horrified.
ReplyDelete"When the model fails to produce tellable tales, we are left with greater respect for the power of the human imagination and a new search for explanations of human creativity" (Sharples & Perez, 2022, p.13). Human imagination and emotions are abilities that computers do not have. For instance, in a program I once watched: AI and humans wrote poems about the same photo of a volunteer teacher and her students. The keywords in the poem written by the AI were more about the images that could be seen in the photo, such as smiling faces, children, cameras, etc. However, the poem by the human was more about the image's symbolism; the keywords are warmth, kindness, and love. AI is unable to see the emotions and stories behind photos as well as humans do. Just like Sharples and Perez (2022, p.13) said," We make the machines that make the stories that make us."
Finally, I love the author's views about computers and new tools: those are the assistants of writers, which can enlarge their thinking and help them learn from the entire internet. This view is similar to Rockwell and Sinclair's (2016) perspective: "We will still develop interpretive tools hermeneutica—that can augment and extend our reading, not replace us."
References
Rockwell, G., & Sinclair, S. (2016). The measured words: How computers analyze text. Hermeneutica, 25–44. https://doi.org/10.7551/mitpress/9780262034357.003.0002
Sharples, M., & Pérez y Pérez, R. (2022). "Can a Computer Write a Story," Story Machines: How Computers Have Become Creative Writers (1st ed.). P. 1-13. Routledge. https://doi-org.login.ezproxy.library.ualberta.ca/10.4324/9781003161431
In the first article, Stevenson discusses the intersection of the dot-com boom, cyberlibertarianism, and the exceptionalism attributed to the World Wide Web during the 1990s. He highlights the emphasis on the web as a medium of individual and economic freedom, which is a perspective known as cyberlibertarianism that combines libertarian political philosophy with technological utopianism. The dot-com bubble, marked by Netscape’s historic IPO in 1995, was fueled not just by business potential but also by a romanticized perception of the web as a rebellious force reshaping the media landscape.
ReplyDeleteWired magazines played a crucial role in promoting this perception as well, which present the web as a platform for disruptive thinkers. This representation contributed to the dot-com hype, with Netscape being portrayed as challenging Microsoft. The magazine’s legacy continues as it remains a significant cultural intermediary in digital culture, influencing how new media companies, such as Facebook, present themselves.
However, critics like Barbrook and Cameron, they argued that cyberlibertarianism was flawed. It combines hippie spirit and entrepreneurial spirit while neglecting traditional social issues. They criticized the belief that technology and the free market alone could bring positive social change, excluding government intervention.
The content above reminds me of two things: “shadowban” and Bill C-18 in Canada. There’s an important phenomenon known as Instagram’s "shadowban", which is a term created by users to describe the platform's policy regarding “vaguely inappropriate content”. This policy significantly reduces the visibility of certain posts by hiding them from exposure without giving prior notification. The issue of Instagram’s moderation of nudity has sparked controversy, with bans on only female, but not male, nipples leading to global protests such as #FreeTheNipple. Although some changes were made in response to those protests, the platform continues to grapple with the moderation of nudity through methods like shadowbanning. This phenomenon makes me think that cyberlibertarianism has a trick definition because everyone might has their own perception about what liberty really means in the context of the internet. Apart from that, Bill C-18 also limits the freedom of internet users reading news from social media platforms. Therefore, what arise on several social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, are news bot run by individuals. It’s really common to see news feeds coming from these bots and there’s no guarantee of their authenticity. So in this context, is there more freedom on the internet or less?
Stevenson’s “From hypertext to hype and back again: Exploring the roots of social media in early web culture” was an incredibly interesting read. As a person who lived through the emergence of social media, both personally and professionally, I appreciated the synopsis of Web 2.0 and the birth of social media.
ReplyDeleteIn 1999, I was in my first year of college. My program required that I have a computer an internet connection at home. At that time, this was still a novel idea that wasn’t nearly as common as it would soon come to be. At that time it was normal to use the library, school computer lab, or Internet café to get online. This changed incredibly quickly over the next few years. At that time, there was an optimistic idea of what the internet could create for society, including online communities and opportunities for equalization amongst communities. The dot com bubble was built on this optimism, with web companies going public for large sums of money, yet delivering bizarre services to limited geographic areas (everything seemed to cater to New York City and was very niche – from pet supplies to perishable goods such as groceries). In a very short period of time it was realized internet based wouldn’t be the easy money maker investors originally assumed it would be.
I appreciated the research on the Wired magazine project, HotWired. At that time there was a major panic in the print publishing industry and while it may not have been successful, HotWired reads to me as an attempt for a print publication to remain in a positive business situation and possibly even grow its relevance by shifting online. It was surprising to me the article was written with such a negative tone when the idea was coming from a leader who likely saw the writing on the wall in regard to print publishing.
Another memory of mine is when I learned about Open Office, open source word processing software. At that time Word was the only option, and if it didn’t come preloaded on your computer could be expensive software to purchase. OpenOffice saved users a tremendous amount of money in licensing fees. I specifically remember it was the only way to create a PDF document without having to purchase Adobe Acrobat.
The reading I appreciated most this week was definitely Sue Thomas’ presentation on transliterate spaces. As someone who has worked in the communications industry both before and after the advent of social media, we aim to consistently create transliterate content. This looks like developing key messages and then adapting those messages for both the medium and the audience using that medium. This is something the communications industry has learned to do over time – in the early days it was normal to write one text blurb and copy and paste it from the website, to Twitter, and to Facebook. Over time we learned that unless we tailored our content to the platform and audience, it would go unnoticed and possibly even work against the campaign. Today, a message can be adapted several ways, possibly even with different creative assets, to ensure the intended audience is reached.
Reading "From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again," I found myself continually returning to the passage discussing cyberlibertarianism. As someone who has witnessed hate campaigns and bigotry flourish on social media, I feel frustrated by the seeming powerlessness afforded users against free market technologies. Stevenson's analysis sheds light on the complex history behind this problematic status quo. In his chapter, Stevenson provides an insightful history of the early web, tracing how current understandings of social media and concepts like Web 2.0 have roots in various visions, debates, and developments that originated in web and internet culture of the 1990s. One aspect I found particularly interesting was the competing visions between figures like Howard Rheingold and Louis Rossetto in the initial development of HotWired, one of the first commercial websites (Stevenson, 2018). Rheingold saw immense potential for public participation, wanting to orchestrate a “worldwide jam session” showcasing user contributions and digital artwork alongside HotWired’s professional content. Rossetto, on the other hand, valued building community only to the extent that it strengthened brand loyalty; he saw user submissions mainly as a distraction from the site’s professional content.
ReplyDeleteThese opposing viewpoints presage more recent debates surrounding the role of user-generated content in social media. Services like Facebook and Twitter have enabled new opportunities for public expression, but they have also been critiqued for obscuring the boundaries between professional media producers and everyday users. As Stevenson notes, dominant perceptions of appropriate and high-quality web design and culture are defined through ongoing cultural processes shaped by various interests and agendas. Moving forward, we should be critical of any claims about the web’s “true nature” and pay closer attention to how certain visions, forms, and functionalities get promoted over viable alternatives that imagine the web’s purpose differently. Rather than seeing the trajectory from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 as inevitable, we should interrogate the cultural values, political-economic forces, and contingencies of infrastructure and access that coordinate people's interactions with the web. Understanding this complex history provides insight for determining better futures.
Reference
Stevenson, M. (2018), "From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in the Early Web.” Retrieved from https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:16611/
I forgot to change my name. I'm sorry.
DeleteThe article"From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in Early Web Culture" has left a lasting impression on me. There are several points within it that I find particularly worthy of exploration.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, the author delves into the ideological landscape of how we navigate the web. The journey through the genesis of Web exceptionalism and cyberlibertarianism immerses us in a whirlwind of ideologies that framed the dot-com euphoria. The belief that the web was a revolutionary force, driven by individual freedoms and countercultural values, finds echoes in today's social media landscape. This reminds me of: Facebook's Internet.org initiative prompts critical questions about the perceived emancipatory role of technology and the nuanced interplay of Silicon Valley's libertarian politics in global domains like international development.
Wired Magazine isn't just a chronicler but a shaper of the web's narrative. The cyberlibertarian critique from Barbrook and Cameron sheds light on Wired's contradictions. Fast forward to today, and we'll find Zuckerberg echoing Wired's legacy with Facebook's mission of connectivity and openness. It's intriguing to witness how a '90s magazine continues to cast a long shadow, influencing the very essence of new media companies.
The dot-com bubble wasn't just about stocks - it marked a pivotal moment in web design. Those flashy Flash websites during the euphoric phase weren't just eye candy; they were a precursor to today's social media aesthetics. Ankerson's insights into the industry dynamics make me think about the parallels with today's Instagrammable visuals. The evolution from flamboyant designs to the usability focus post-crash feels like a metaphor for the ever-changing landscape of Web 2.0 and our current social media experience.
In this module’s reading #1, Stevenson provides a thoughtful analysis of the cultural, economic, and technological developments that set the stage for the rise of social media in the 2000s. I feel that he effectively makes a compelling argument that social media should not be seen as a radical departure from the early web, but rather a constellation of longstanding ideas, values, forms, and technologies.
ReplyDeleteOne area that could benefit from further elaboration is the connection between early visions of virtual community and present-day social media companies' self-presentation and legitimation strategies. As Stevenson notes, the libertarian ethos and cyberutopian beliefs that animated 1990s digital culture are very much alive today in how companies like Facebook portray themselves as vehicles for openness, connectivity, and positive social change. However, the transition from the concept of virtual community in the 1990s to social media community today is not entirely clear. How do today's commercialized, data-driven social platforms both draw upon and depart from the more techno-utopian visions of earlier decades? Clarifying this connection would strengthen Stevenson's overall argument about social media's historical continuity with the cultural values and self-legitimating discourses of the early web era.
Additionally, while the article provides an insightful analysis of competing visions surrounding the early web's identity and purpose, the implications of this history for our present understanding of social media could be developed further. Much as Berners-Lee and Rheingold disagreed on whether the web's essence was better characterized by notions of a universal information system or by virtual community, debates continue today about whether social media platforms reflect a database logic focused on tracking connections versus a facilitator of organic sociality. Spellling out these parallels more explicitly would underscore Stevenson's point about the open-ended, contingent nature of the web past and present.
Hi Yiting,
DeleteI appreciate the point you bring up about how, "...commercialized, data-driven social platforms both draw upon and depart from the more techno-utopian visions of earlier decades." As we're seeing more clearly by the day, platforms (especially social media platforms) have been packaging themselves as value-providers in order to collect our data. Because of that, Big Tech are realizing their techno-utopian visions while we, the consumers, are falling victim to "platform capitalism", as described so eloquently by Nick Srnicek, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxT59mXDLDI
Thank you for your interesting comments! You have all sparked a vivid discussion that underscores the dynamic nature of storytelling across the ever-evolving landscape of new/social/ar/vr media. Selena Jammaz and Gabby Keiran, your reflections bring to light the multifaceted nature of digital narratives and the role of transliteracy in shaping our digital identities. The insights you've drawn from Stevenson, Manovich, Sharples & Pérez y Pérez, and Thomas encapsulate the transformative impact of new media on the way we engage with content and craft stories.
ReplyDeleteSelena, you've adeptly pointed out the exigency for advertisers to navigate the transliterate behaviours of consumers, a sentiment echoed in Thomas's discourse on transliteracy. The advent of roles like "digital planner" is a testament to the shifting paradigms in storytelling strategies, where understanding the syntony among various platforms is crucial.
Gabby, your personal reflection on the transitional period of social media is compelling, especially as you connect your lived experiences with Stevenson's discourse on cyberlibertarianism. It's intriguing to see how the past shapes our current digital milieu and how new media's interactivity, as explored by Manovich, adds layers to the user's experience, blurring the lines between creators and consumers.
Peace, your perspective as a health communications specialist brings an essential dimension to the conversation, highlighting the critical role of transliteracy in disseminating health information.This is especially important in our (post)-Covid times and the swath of misinformation *out there*. The historical context provided by Stevenson offers a foundation to understand current platforms' capabilities and their implications for inclusive communication.
Gladis, your optimistic take on the potential for virtual communities to foster a sense of connectivity aligns with Rheingold's early visions, reminding us of the web's potential to revitalize democratic engagement. It's a view that resonates with today's challenges and opportunities within social media.
ReplyDeleteEryi Yang, your critical examination of the ideology that navigates the web and its implications for freedom and regulation raises thought-provoking questions about the essence of cyberlibertarianism. This ties back to the need for responsible stewardship of the platforms we use, as discussed in our readings.
Yiting, your observations on Stevenson's work raise crucial questions about the lineage of social media's ethos from its genesis to its current incarnation. Your inquiry into the evolution of the virtual community concept from the early web to the highly commercialized social platforms of today is a fundamental one, probing into the heart of what we understand about the participatory culture of the internet.
Indeed, the libertarian and cyberutopian ideals of the 1990s have been commodified in our era, with platforms like Facebook positioning themselves as beacons of global connection and positive societal transformation. Yet, as you've pointed out, these platforms also embody a departure from the purely utopian visions of the web's progenitors. Today's social media are ensconced in a paradigm where data commodification and algorithmic governance often overshadow the early ideals of community-building and democratized information sharing.
The tension between Tim Berners-Lee's universal information system and Howard Rheingold's vision of a web that prioritizes community speaks to the diverse interpretations and aspirations that have always existed in digital spaces. This dichotomy continues in contemporary debates on the function of social media: Is it a mere repository of user data, or does it truly enhance human connectivity and community-building?
As educators and digital citizens, our task is to navigate these complex narratives, to understand how the web's potential for democratization and community can be reconciled with its commercial and surveillance-driven aspects. Your reflection encourages us to critically examine these platforms not just as tools or environments but as cultural artifacts that embody ongoing social and technological discourses.
The narratives we construct and engage with are not just a reflection of our current times but a continuous dialogue between past ideologies and future possibilities.
ReplyDeleteIn this module, I would like to delve into the transformative journey of media and communication across different eras, starting with Enheduanna, an apprentice in ancient Mesopotamia. Enheduanna existed as an apprentice in ancient Mesopotamia. Her position entailed more than religious duties since it incorporated educational responsibilities as well as the workings and coordination of temple affairs. Evidently, the fact that in Enheduanna's hymns and poems the cuneiform script was turned by her from its formal and usual application to an artistic purpose indeed formed a very important phase of literature history. Her works not only bridged the cultural divide between Sumerians and Akkadians, but they also added a new dimension to the portrayal of deities, adorning a range of human emotions on their face. Despite obstacles like exile, she remained of significant influence well after her time and was an imposing force that has dominated major religious and literary works for centuries.
In contemporary times, Lev Manovich critiques the distinct features of new media in "The Language of the New Media." Manovich examines how these new digital technologies redefine media, introducing concepts such as modularity, automation, variability, and transcoding. He is also willing to explain how the developments of these technologies affect societies and cultures, considering problems like the convergence of various forms of media and digital cinema. Manovich, through his work, helps to frame the shift that happened from traditional to digital media and how this sets the stage for future developments.
In one of the chapters done by Michael Stevenson of "The SAGE Handbook of Social Media," the past, present, and future possibilities of social media are explored in tandem with the analysis of Manovich. His work followed the trajectory from the early web to today's intricate platforms. Stevenson emphasizes the continuity between early web cultures characterized by hypertextuality and community participation, as opposed to this commercialized Web 2.0 era. His conclusion shows how all these transitions have influenced the modus operandi of today's social media and how today's environment of information has been shaped in its wake.
Cumulatively, those works manage to provide a view from that height on media and communication in different epochs. Manovich's research on new media, Enheduanna's expression of ancient hymns, and Stevenson's analysis of how technology is transforming media demonstrate that human expression does not remain constant and technology changes its output. From the classical ancient Mesopotamia's artistic expressions to analog photography and then to the now every day digital interactions of the 21st-century human beings, these stories serve as reminders of the ongoing development of media and its vast farthest reach to human culture and society. This journey of history not only reflects changes in forms of media but also resembles powers like the end story, creative, and communication techniques shaping the experiences and understanding of people over time.
References:
1. Stevenson, M. (2018), "From Hypertext to Hype and Back Again: Exploring the Roots of Social Media in the Early Web.” Retrieved from https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:16611/
2. Ted-Ed. (n.d.). Who was the world’s first author? [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved January 2021, from https://youtu.be/XhNw1BhV6sw?si=c5oO2YG4i1FNuQ3V
3. “What is New Media”, Lev Manovich. Retrieved from https://dss-edit.com/plu/Manovich-Lev_The_Language_of_the_New_Media.pdf
Module 1 readings delve into the complex interplay between technology and culture, each offering distinct insights into the evolution and implications of new media.
ReplyDeleteStevenson's (2018) work on the transformation from simple hypertext to the dynamic social media environments of today provides a crucial historical perspective. This analysis could be enhanced by considering how these technological developments impact user privacy and autonomy, areas that are increasingly under scrutiny as the digital landscape evolves.
Lev Manovich’s text, "What is New Media?", outlines a clear framework for understanding the components and principles defining new media. However, the rapidly changing technological landscape, marked by the rise of technologies like augmented reality and AI, suggests a need for this framework to be adaptable to encompass new forms of media that continue to emerge.
In "Story Machines," Sharples & Pérez y Pérez (2022) explore whether computers can be creative writers, addressing the intersection of artificial intelligence and literature. This raises important questions about authenticity and the emotional depth of stories created by AI. A deeper discussion on the ethical implications of AI in creative fields could provide a more comprehensive understanding of its impact on human creativity.
Lastly, Sue Thomas's discussion on transliteracy in "Transliterate Spaces" highlights the importance of being fluent across different media platforms from an early age. This concept is insightful, yet the addition of practical applications and strategies for educators would make the ideas more accessible and actionable.
Together, these readings encourage a multidimensional critique of new media, prompting further examination of how technology shapes cultural practices and individual identities, while also influencing the regulatory and ethical frameworks needed in the digital age.