Worth noticing in Manovich’s chapter on principles of New media are the sections
‘Numerical Representation’ and ‘Modularity’. This principles are correctly
stated as being important elements of New Media. In the first section, the
author states that the process of digitization involves making real life data,
which is continuous, into discrete data. These discrete units, however, are not
the units of meaning. The case is rather that they first have to form a
interpretable concept as a whole by relying on each other and therefore, they
do not affect the viewer separately (Manovich, 2002, pp. 49-50). With this
comes the principle of modularity, where the author explains that all these
separate elements, together combined into the large-scale object, have their
own identity and are independent of one another (Manovich, 2002, pp. 51-52).
This might inhere some sort of contradiction. Although all of these units might seem independent, it could be more useful to say that they are related to each other to create a meaningful superstructure. Taking out one of the items would break the logical whole, and the meaning would change. As a consequence, this means that deleting ‘atoms’ of the new media object would interrupt the cultural and the overall meaning of the message provided by this specific new media, which then too has a significant consequence on the way the message would have influenced the society in which it is created. The influence of the medium happens in the extension of a specific meaning, which is created by the specific parts all working together to be meaningful in some sort of specific way. Take for example a photograph, consisting of pixels as being the units. With just a few pixels, taking out one of the ‘atoms’ or manipulating them in some sort of way does change the way people will interpret the photograph. One may be able to separate or interchange the units, but it will impact the meaning of the message.
Bibliography
Manovich, L. (2002). The language of New Media. MIT Press.
This might inhere some sort of contradiction. Although all of these units might seem independent, it could be more useful to say that they are related to each other to create a meaningful superstructure. Taking out one of the items would break the logical whole, and the meaning would change. As a consequence, this means that deleting ‘atoms’ of the new media object would interrupt the cultural and the overall meaning of the message provided by this specific new media, which then too has a significant consequence on the way the message would have influenced the society in which it is created. The influence of the medium happens in the extension of a specific meaning, which is created by the specific parts all working together to be meaningful in some sort of specific way. Take for example a photograph, consisting of pixels as being the units. With just a few pixels, taking out one of the ‘atoms’ or manipulating them in some sort of way does change the way people will interpret the photograph. One may be able to separate or interchange the units, but it will impact the meaning of the message.
Bibliography
Manovich, L. (2002). The language of New Media. MIT Press.
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