Creeber defines old and new media, through two time periods, Modernism and Post Modernism. Post-modernism can partly be understood as "the inevitable by-product of a consumer society, where consumption and leisure now determine our experiences rather than work and production" (Creeber, 2009, p.15). The increase 'Participatory culture' creating virtual communities allows participation from individuals and corporations "to become ‘producers’ as well as ‘receivers’ of the media" (Creeber, 2009, p.19).
Creebers ideas of participatory culture coincide with Henry Jenkins' three key terms of "convergence, collective intelligence and participation" (Jenkins, 2006, p.47).
The participatory culture are able to then take a image from another, using digital devices such as cameras and computers to create a image or other mediums with there own take of an image. Using virtual communities such as Facebook and Tumblr along with video and image platforms such as YouTube and 4chan to create these texts. Although, this did not just happen with the invention of digital media or just within New Media. Marcel Duchamp, an artist who took images like the Mona Lisa, adding a moustache to the piece of art and anchored with some text. This under Lev Manovich's classification of New media would be a variability and also wouldn't not be because nothing was digitized but would suggest that the idea of New Media began with the age of mass production.
Like Manovich, who wants a new theory of authorship to help us to understand media, Creeber believes that there should be a "new theoretical framework which allows us to understand and appreciate both the positive and negative features of our current media age" (Creeber, 2009, p.21). With there being no set theoretical framework and no authorship to understand the concept of new media, there will be a growth in technology, to try and understand, more collective knowledge to try to comprehend what is and isn't new media and more shifts in cultural dynamics of media.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009)
Manovich, L. (2001). The Language of New Media. MIT Press.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: where old and new media collide. revised version. NYU Press.
Wednesday 23 October 2013
New Media/ Mass Culture
New Media is more readily available and more largely produced than ever before. It is created as quickly as we the audience can take it in and enjoy it. This mass culture that we are so use to and live by today was not favoured by some in its early days.
The Frankfurt School fled Germany during the Second World War to America and once there they were confronted with the mass culture that was engulfing America which was not to their tastes. The Frankfurt School was shocked when they arrived to discover how "... American mass culture shared many similarities with the products of mass production." (Creeber, 2009, p.12). They likened it to how Henry Ford was successful to produce his automobiles in mass quantities. They believed that as this culture was being mass produced it would have serious negative effects on the mass audiences who consumed this media.
Moreover on the belief that the Frankfurt School saw mass culture as being negative influence on the mass audience that ingested it. The hypodermic needle theory was that, "...as wholly defenceless and constantly 'injected' by media messages, as if it were some form of mind-altering narcotic." (Creeber, 2009, p.13). Mass culture no matter what form it was packaged in was seen to be of no use or benefit to its audience but more of a nuisance.
Furthermore those who condemned mass culture were themselves consumers of high culture ans so therefore saw this new mass culture a threat to their way of life. The first direct General of the BBC, John Reith believed, "... Broacasting should be used to defend 'high culture' against the degrading nature and influence of mass culture." (Creeber, 2009, p.13). Even if mass culture is a threat to high culture or even if it is a negative influence on its audience the 'medium is the message' (Creeber quoting McLuhan, 2009, p.15) and therefore it should speak for itself on these issues and we can interrupt in our own way.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. and Martin R. (2009) Digital Cultures (Maidenhead:Open University Press)
The Frankfurt School fled Germany during the Second World War to America and once there they were confronted with the mass culture that was engulfing America which was not to their tastes. The Frankfurt School was shocked when they arrived to discover how "... American mass culture shared many similarities with the products of mass production." (Creeber, 2009, p.12). They likened it to how Henry Ford was successful to produce his automobiles in mass quantities. They believed that as this culture was being mass produced it would have serious negative effects on the mass audiences who consumed this media.
Moreover on the belief that the Frankfurt School saw mass culture as being negative influence on the mass audience that ingested it. The hypodermic needle theory was that, "...as wholly defenceless and constantly 'injected' by media messages, as if it were some form of mind-altering narcotic." (Creeber, 2009, p.13). Mass culture no matter what form it was packaged in was seen to be of no use or benefit to its audience but more of a nuisance.
Furthermore those who condemned mass culture were themselves consumers of high culture ans so therefore saw this new mass culture a threat to their way of life. The first direct General of the BBC, John Reith believed, "... Broacasting should be used to defend 'high culture' against the degrading nature and influence of mass culture." (Creeber, 2009, p.13). Even if mass culture is a threat to high culture or even if it is a negative influence on its audience the 'medium is the message' (Creeber quoting McLuhan, 2009, p.15) and therefore it should speak for itself on these issues and we can interrupt in our own way.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. and Martin R. (2009) Digital Cultures (Maidenhead:Open University Press)
Modernism to Postmodernism
Modernism is, according to Creeber, the “term we give to the way that human society responded to the changes that took place during the industrial revolution” (Creeber, 2009, pg.11) This brought about what the Frankfurt School called the Culture Industry and they held the opinion that the media produced as a result of this was “standardized, formulaic and shallow” (Creeber, 2009, pg.17) This media was produced for the masses and lost the individuality that high art as media had. Due to this “modernism’s reaction to modernity is often perceived as intensely paradoxical” and also hostile. (pg.12)
After the industrial revolution came postmodernism where people “become actively involved in the very production of the media; moving power away from the ‘author’ into the hands of the ‘audience’” (Creeber, 2009. Pg.20) This audience involvement ties in with the idea of audience participation, one of Jenkin’s defining concepts of Convergence Culture. (Jenkins pg.3)
Postmodernism celebrates popular culture's lack of deeper meaning and Post-structuralism allows viewers to take their own meanings as they decode the meanings embedded in the semiotics of a piece of media, rather than taking the meanings that were encoded into the text.
People can now make the media they want to see and distribute it online for millions to view, however, not everyone has access to equipment or the internet to make their own media. Those with this access have far more control over what is produced and what becomes popular in todays culture.
After the industrial revolution came improvements in technology which ultimately lead to a switch from old analogue media to New Media in digital formats. This lead to a convergence in media which has also aided people in creating their own media.
The audience hasn’t been merely passive viewers of media for some time, but they are even less so now. Especially with “Theories of ‘fandom’ (...) with the Internet allowing the fans of different forms of culture to create virtual communities that add to the original understanding and even content of their chosen interests” (Creeber, 2009, pg.19) This coming together of fans to help understand their favourite content demonstrates collective intelligence, which is more prominent in todays culture than in the days before the internet.
This shows us that the ideas of New Media and Convergence Culture are closely linked together and are also linked with postmodernism and post-structuralism and that they wouldn’t be as they are without each other.
Bibliography
After the industrial revolution came postmodernism where people “become actively involved in the very production of the media; moving power away from the ‘author’ into the hands of the ‘audience’” (Creeber, 2009. Pg.20) This audience involvement ties in with the idea of audience participation, one of Jenkin’s defining concepts of Convergence Culture. (Jenkins pg.3)
Postmodernism celebrates popular culture's lack of deeper meaning and Post-structuralism allows viewers to take their own meanings as they decode the meanings embedded in the semiotics of a piece of media, rather than taking the meanings that were encoded into the text.
People can now make the media they want to see and distribute it online for millions to view, however, not everyone has access to equipment or the internet to make their own media. Those with this access have far more control over what is produced and what becomes popular in todays culture.
After the industrial revolution came improvements in technology which ultimately lead to a switch from old analogue media to New Media in digital formats. This lead to a convergence in media which has also aided people in creating their own media.
The audience hasn’t been merely passive viewers of media for some time, but they are even less so now. Especially with “Theories of ‘fandom’ (...) with the Internet allowing the fans of different forms of culture to create virtual communities that add to the original understanding and even content of their chosen interests” (Creeber, 2009, pg.19) This coming together of fans to help understand their favourite content demonstrates collective intelligence, which is more prominent in todays culture than in the days before the internet.
This shows us that the ideas of New Media and Convergence Culture are closely linked together and are also linked with postmodernism and post-structuralism and that they wouldn’t be as they are without each other.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in ED. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidstone, Open University Press.
Jenkins, H. (2008) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, 2nd revised edition, NYU Press
Digital Theory
Glen Creeber (2009) discusses the industrial revolution in the eighteenth century and the changes that took place with modernism. the concept of modernism which was industrialised by the end of the nineteenth century is defined as,
"umbrella term we give to the way that human society responded to the changes"(Creeber, 2009,p.11)
As the indication of technology and science started to develop rapidly, so did the style of art movements, example Futurists that embraced the speed in which technology transforms. Although not just the style of art itself changed, the location also changed in the mass culture of society. Art can be found in printed icons and various screens, therefore blurring high culture with low culture, creating a mass culture that attracts the same interest.
"technology and science transformed our conception of society and ourselves, so artists and intellectuals sought new ways to represent and articulate.....'brave new world'." (Creeber,2009, p.12)
The Frankfurt School, who evacuated Germany due to the Second World War, came to American. They were interested on how the mass culture was relating to products of mass production, for instance mobile phones to date are mass produced which is available for consumers in new media. The Frankfurt School associated aspects of Fordism with the similar connecting of mass culture.
"Fordism was a term coined to descried Henry Ford's successes in the automobile industry,...became more accessible....were exactly the same." (Creeder, 2009, p.12-13).
As McLuhan reflects that consumers themselves can interact with media content, though new media to voice their opinions on any storyline at the presides moment, giving the consumer the ability to have more control and influence over media text.
"transforming us all from 'voyeurs to participants'"(Creeder, 2009, p.15)
The consumers' browses through virtual worlds, here they can create their own personality. Therefore portrays versions of themselves on social network sites, as a result of getting away from what is 'real', this can be seen as another life. However the consumer knows that it is 'unreal', although in the virtual space there are items that can be bought. In the series Lost (2004-2010) the consumers' could interact with buying items that appeared on the series, respectively these can be physically held in reality. Justifying that both the digital and real world are intertwined. Due to the circumstances that consumers can't differentiate one reality from the other.
"our sense of what is 'real' and what is 'unreal' is clearly undergoing a dramatic transformation...now place advertisements..."(Creeder, 2009, p.18)
Bibliography
Creeber, G .Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media (Maidstone: OUP)
"umbrella term we give to the way that human society responded to the changes"(Creeber, 2009,p.11)
As the indication of technology and science started to develop rapidly, so did the style of art movements, example Futurists that embraced the speed in which technology transforms. Although not just the style of art itself changed, the location also changed in the mass culture of society. Art can be found in printed icons and various screens, therefore blurring high culture with low culture, creating a mass culture that attracts the same interest.
"technology and science transformed our conception of society and ourselves, so artists and intellectuals sought new ways to represent and articulate.....'brave new world'." (Creeber,2009, p.12)
The Frankfurt School, who evacuated Germany due to the Second World War, came to American. They were interested on how the mass culture was relating to products of mass production, for instance mobile phones to date are mass produced which is available for consumers in new media. The Frankfurt School associated aspects of Fordism with the similar connecting of mass culture.
"Fordism was a term coined to descried Henry Ford's successes in the automobile industry,...became more accessible....were exactly the same." (Creeder, 2009, p.12-13).
As McLuhan reflects that consumers themselves can interact with media content, though new media to voice their opinions on any storyline at the presides moment, giving the consumer the ability to have more control and influence over media text.
"transforming us all from 'voyeurs to participants'"(Creeder, 2009, p.15)
The consumers' browses through virtual worlds, here they can create their own personality. Therefore portrays versions of themselves on social network sites, as a result of getting away from what is 'real', this can be seen as another life. However the consumer knows that it is 'unreal', although in the virtual space there are items that can be bought. In the series Lost (2004-2010) the consumers' could interact with buying items that appeared on the series, respectively these can be physically held in reality. Justifying that both the digital and real world are intertwined. Due to the circumstances that consumers can't differentiate one reality from the other.
"our sense of what is 'real' and what is 'unreal' is clearly undergoing a dramatic transformation...now place advertisements..."(Creeder, 2009, p.18)
Bibliography
Creeber, G .Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media (Maidstone: OUP)
Goggling the Gogglebox
When a theorist studies different forms of ideals and theories
they inclose their ideals into small groups relating to their time,
whilst thinking about where their proposals can go. Such as Modernists
look at, the improvement of the production line and industrial
revolution. Post-modernists look at the "changes that have taken
place after the industrial revolution" (Creeber, 2009, p15).
Here each set of theorists use their corresponding era's to identify
the audience/reader in which they use as evidence to their ideals.
Modernism is identified with a ruthless nature towards mass culture with it's structural high standards. Providing a hostile environment to any form of art other then high art, creating a tension that develops "modernism's reaction to the media's early development during the twentieth century"(Creeber, 2009, p12). One aspect of modernism's disdain is found through the studies of 'The Frankfurt School'. The School looks upon media as a rotating production line that processes the same tried blueprints, which revealed mass cultures gullibility.
If we take this brief understanding of modernism and apply it to the ideals of the television show Gogglebox (2012, television programme, Channel 4, UK) we soon find out that mass cultures gullibility no longer identifies with the lower class state, but uses the emergence of the classes to pinpoint the unending growth of post-modernism.
"If the “post- modernism” of the 1980s was the first, preliminary echo of this shift still to come—still weak, still possible to ignore—the 1990s’ rapid transformation of culture into e-culture" (Manovich, 2002, p32) changed our belief in the construction New media.
The new form of e-culture lead the change by letting the viewer goggle upon the gogglebox, in which the user of the medium could view all that goes on behind and in front of the screen. With connections with the collective community found inside the online sphere. We can now find that the productive nature behind modernism only found theoretical states, allowing post-modernism to power above the psychical territory and preform along side the goggle crazed society.
Bibliography:
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in ED. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidstone, Open University Press.
Manovich, L (2002) What is New Media and Principles of New Media from the Language of New Media (Cambridge, Mass :London MIT Press)
Modernism is identified with a ruthless nature towards mass culture with it's structural high standards. Providing a hostile environment to any form of art other then high art, creating a tension that develops "modernism's reaction to the media's early development during the twentieth century"(Creeber, 2009, p12). One aspect of modernism's disdain is found through the studies of 'The Frankfurt School'. The School looks upon media as a rotating production line that processes the same tried blueprints, which revealed mass cultures gullibility.
If we take this brief understanding of modernism and apply it to the ideals of the television show Gogglebox (2012, television programme, Channel 4, UK) we soon find out that mass cultures gullibility no longer identifies with the lower class state, but uses the emergence of the classes to pinpoint the unending growth of post-modernism.
"If the “post- modernism” of the 1980s was the first, preliminary echo of this shift still to come—still weak, still possible to ignore—the 1990s’ rapid transformation of culture into e-culture" (Manovich, 2002, p32) changed our belief in the construction New media.
The new form of e-culture lead the change by letting the viewer goggle upon the gogglebox, in which the user of the medium could view all that goes on behind and in front of the screen. With connections with the collective community found inside the online sphere. We can now find that the productive nature behind modernism only found theoretical states, allowing post-modernism to power above the psychical territory and preform along side the goggle crazed society.
Bibliography:
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in ED. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidstone, Open University Press.
Manovich, L (2002) What is New Media and Principles of New Media from the Language of New Media (Cambridge, Mass :London MIT Press)
From changing media to changing theories
In order to understand the world, it is necessary to understand the media. More specifically, we need to understand that media are changing and that, as Manovich (2001, p.43) states, we are in the middle of a new media revolution. This change of media implies the need for a new theoretical framework to analyse the specific characteristics of the media.
In the past, media were analysed differently. During the period of modernism, the dominant theoretical approach reflected the pessimist ideology of the ‘Frankfurt School’. It represented media as producers of a mass culture that influenced a passive and powerless audience. This vision was also reflected in the formulation of the ‘hypodermic needle’ model. According to this model, a media message will exert powerful and relatively uniform effects on everyone who processes it (Sparks, 2012, p.58). However, this is a questionable statement since little attention is paid to the fact that people differ greatly and that they can respond in different ways to the same message.
This pessimistic approach was reinforced by the quasi-scientific method of semiotics, introduced by the structuralist movement. Creeber (2009, p.14) describes semiotics as “a clear and coherent methodology by which the meaning of any text could be read objectively as a system of ‘signs’.”. Based on this, Hall (1973) formulated his encoding/decoding model. It focused not only on the encoding of a media product, but also on the decoding by an active audience, where each individual has the chance to construct its own meaning.
Hall’s model reflected the vision of postmodernists and meant a shift towards the current more positive view of the media. Creeber (2009, p.21) describes this as technological utopianism, since it suggests that New Media will improve society. However, we have to bear in mind some negative examples, such as the fact that not all New Media participants are created equal (Jenkins, 2008, p.3), the decrease in cultural identities and the invasion of the private sphere.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in ED. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidstone, Open University Press.
Manovich, L. (2001). The Language of New Media. MIT Press.
Sparks, G. (2012). Media Effects Research: A Basic Overview, 4th ed. Stamford: Cengage Learning.
In the past, media were analysed differently. During the period of modernism, the dominant theoretical approach reflected the pessimist ideology of the ‘Frankfurt School’. It represented media as producers of a mass culture that influenced a passive and powerless audience. This vision was also reflected in the formulation of the ‘hypodermic needle’ model. According to this model, a media message will exert powerful and relatively uniform effects on everyone who processes it (Sparks, 2012, p.58). However, this is a questionable statement since little attention is paid to the fact that people differ greatly and that they can respond in different ways to the same message.
This pessimistic approach was reinforced by the quasi-scientific method of semiotics, introduced by the structuralist movement. Creeber (2009, p.14) describes semiotics as “a clear and coherent methodology by which the meaning of any text could be read objectively as a system of ‘signs’.”. Based on this, Hall (1973) formulated his encoding/decoding model. It focused not only on the encoding of a media product, but also on the decoding by an active audience, where each individual has the chance to construct its own meaning.
Hall’s model reflected the vision of postmodernists and meant a shift towards the current more positive view of the media. Creeber (2009, p.21) describes this as technological utopianism, since it suggests that New Media will improve society. However, we have to bear in mind some negative examples, such as the fact that not all New Media participants are created equal (Jenkins, 2008, p.3), the decrease in cultural identities and the invasion of the private sphere.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in ED. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidstone, Open University Press.
Manovich, L. (2001). The Language of New Media. MIT Press.
Sparks, G. (2012). Media Effects Research: A Basic Overview, 4th ed. Stamford: Cengage Learning.
Digital Consumption
In an
ever-changing society with common misrepresentation and false needs the
modernist belief remains that technological progress is paving the way to a
brighter future for current and next generations. As industrialization and scientific
breakthroughs reach new heights, human lives are made ‘better’ by technologies
we have grown dependent on for our day-to-day lives. With these rapid changes a modernist can’t
ignore the risk this has brought to our, “…free
thought and individuality.” (Creeber, 2009: p. 12) It is their distaste to the repercussions of
modernity that makes their belief paradoxical by nature, both loving and hating
the results being produced.
Modernism
is a key reason for the decline of old media, but consumer demand is as
responsible for advancements being so rapid and the use of mass production for
mass consumption. Industries escalated their production line to
manufacture cheaper and more accessible products to the public. Ford’s own methods of mass production for
automobiles is what began the ‘Fordist’ philosophy that was apparent at
affecting various areas of mass culture.
This replication of not just objects but television, novels and other
media products is exactly what modernists feared would continue. The opportunity to find something with a
unique quality becomes more of an impossibility, especially when consumers
demand more of the same.
Briggs
famously says, “…we are apparently
setting out to give the public what we think they need – and not what they want
– but few know what they want and very few know what they need.” (Cited by
Briggs 1961: 238) This intriguing yet
terrifying notion bares a lot of weight as society relies a lot on new media to
provide them with options on purchases, entertainment etc. Through no fault of our own we have been
subjected to it for so long we no longer realize whether our wants and needs,
are actually ours.
Only
until fully understanding semiotics can a consumer even begin to decode hidden
messages underneath the multitude of media texts and develop a resistance
against its influence. Whether the advantages from mass
industrialization outweigh the disadvantages is another argument altogether,
but there is no denying the lasting effect it is having on our generation and
possibly the next.
Bibliography
Creeber, G and Martin R. 2009, Digital Cultures, Open University Press.
The cultural changes of New Media
The ideas of New Media were not simply created by new technologies alone but though cultural changes in society, changes such as Modernism. As Creeber notes, "Modernism is the umbrella term we give to the way that human society responded to the changes that took place during the industrial revolution", (Creeber, 2009, pg.11). A world transformed by ideas of a beneficial and progressive industrial society, diminishing previous societal structures such as a religious monopoly of dominance.
The faith of the masses now invested in technological advancement and material goods to help deal with the stresses of daily life rather than relying on spiritual guidance, "A triumph of consumerism, commercial culture"(Manovich, 2002, pg.31). The Fordism production line ethic resonated this change across all layers of society, the same product replicated cheaply, quickly and with little collective thought, as the "Modernists came to perceive industrialization as the enemy of free thought and individuality", (Creeber, 2009, pg.12). Manovich notes this practice in today's media production, where "modern media follows the factory logic", dividing a singular project into repetitive jobs such as an artist who only colours backgrounds for an animation, (Manovich, 2002, pg.51).
In Post-Modern society, focus changed from the consumption of material goods to that of information. Leading to the rise of "information technologies, the globalization of financial markets, the growth of the service and the white-collar", an information age, (Creeber, 2009, pg.15). The Frankfurt school feared the "ideological influence of the media on a gullible and powerless audience", the masses drooling over their mass produced, mind numbing, popular culture? (Creeber, 2009, pg.15). The elites who dismissed popular culture as a low brow mind control underestimated the complex relationship between the reader and the text. Audiences are not mere puppets of media but "active participants in the production of meaning", they can interpret the meaning of texts using their own cultural means (Creeber, 2009, pg.16).
Identifying how elements such as popular culture cannot be categorised as high or low brow, "as the 'real' and 'unreal', the 'authentic' and 'inauthentic'", as the meaning lies within the cultural view of the reader (Creeber, 2009, pg.17). This is identified in today's culture where the meaning and status of media is being blurred, using multimedia mediums such as YouTube. Where low brow mash-ups such as the "What does the wolf say?" become more significant than professional industry standard media. The masses now hold more power and influence over the media they consume, sharing, choosing, participating and driving New Media.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media (Maidstone: OUP)
The faith of the masses now invested in technological advancement and material goods to help deal with the stresses of daily life rather than relying on spiritual guidance, "A triumph of consumerism, commercial culture"(Manovich, 2002, pg.31). The Fordism production line ethic resonated this change across all layers of society, the same product replicated cheaply, quickly and with little collective thought, as the "Modernists came to perceive industrialization as the enemy of free thought and individuality", (Creeber, 2009, pg.12). Manovich notes this practice in today's media production, where "modern media follows the factory logic", dividing a singular project into repetitive jobs such as an artist who only colours backgrounds for an animation, (Manovich, 2002, pg.51).
In Post-Modern society, focus changed from the consumption of material goods to that of information. Leading to the rise of "information technologies, the globalization of financial markets, the growth of the service and the white-collar", an information age, (Creeber, 2009, pg.15). The Frankfurt school feared the "ideological influence of the media on a gullible and powerless audience", the masses drooling over their mass produced, mind numbing, popular culture? (Creeber, 2009, pg.15). The elites who dismissed popular culture as a low brow mind control underestimated the complex relationship between the reader and the text. Audiences are not mere puppets of media but "active participants in the production of meaning", they can interpret the meaning of texts using their own cultural means (Creeber, 2009, pg.16).
Identifying how elements such as popular culture cannot be categorised as high or low brow, "as the 'real' and 'unreal', the 'authentic' and 'inauthentic'", as the meaning lies within the cultural view of the reader (Creeber, 2009, pg.17). This is identified in today's culture where the meaning and status of media is being blurred, using multimedia mediums such as YouTube. Where low brow mash-ups such as the "What does the wolf say?" become more significant than professional industry standard media. The masses now hold more power and influence over the media they consume, sharing, choosing, participating and driving New Media.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media (Maidstone: OUP)
Auto-cultivation
In Creeber’s chapter “Digital theory: theorizing New Media”, he draws a line between old and new media by situating them into different historical periods of time, namely modernism and postmodernism. Old media is positioned in modernism, which is combined with a pessimistic theoretical framework approach, carried out by the Frankfurt School. A cultural shift occurred to postmodernism, in which new media play the main role. Postmodernist theory suggests an active audience with a developing public sphere (cf. Habermans)(Creeber, 2009, pp. 11-17).
Both in Creeber’s and Jenkins’ work, the notion of New Media combined with participatory culture is ubiquitous (Creeber, 2009, p. 19 & Jenkins, 2006, p. 3). This interactivity of the consumers, such as Web 2.0., implies a difference in the consumption of media (Jenkins, 2006, p. 17). The ‘audience’, creating their own content with relatively equal power as the ‘media producers’, now face new opportunities, but also challenges to keep the content flow. In this respect, taking into account the Cultivation Theory by Gerbner might be useful. With old media, it was clear that, as Creeber states it too, one dominate ideology was cultivating the audience. However, applying this theory to New Media results in the understanding that now, audience have to cultivate themselves. With an unequal access to the New Media and less possibility to gate keep the information flow, those who have greater abilities to participate in this emerging culture (Jenkins, p. 3), which are usually the higher socio-economic classes, become the beholders of the ‘truth’, deciding what content will be consumed.
Furthermore, the Old Media theory of the hypodermic needle effect model should not be neglected. Media, whether old or new, do not differ in the fact that they both exercise consistent effects on those receiving it. But important to recognize is that the nature of the effects are changing. With the ‘audience’ as the main content provider, the content of the media is differing, which is usually stated by critics as a decline in quality. And off course, it is self-evident that different content implies different influences.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: where old and new media collide. revised version. NYU Press.
Both in Creeber’s and Jenkins’ work, the notion of New Media combined with participatory culture is ubiquitous (Creeber, 2009, p. 19 & Jenkins, 2006, p. 3). This interactivity of the consumers, such as Web 2.0., implies a difference in the consumption of media (Jenkins, 2006, p. 17). The ‘audience’, creating their own content with relatively equal power as the ‘media producers’, now face new opportunities, but also challenges to keep the content flow. In this respect, taking into account the Cultivation Theory by Gerbner might be useful. With old media, it was clear that, as Creeber states it too, one dominate ideology was cultivating the audience. However, applying this theory to New Media results in the understanding that now, audience have to cultivate themselves. With an unequal access to the New Media and less possibility to gate keep the information flow, those who have greater abilities to participate in this emerging culture (Jenkins, p. 3), which are usually the higher socio-economic classes, become the beholders of the ‘truth’, deciding what content will be consumed.
Furthermore, the Old Media theory of the hypodermic needle effect model should not be neglected. Media, whether old or new, do not differ in the fact that they both exercise consistent effects on those receiving it. But important to recognize is that the nature of the effects are changing. With the ‘audience’ as the main content provider, the content of the media is differing, which is usually stated by critics as a decline in quality. And off course, it is self-evident that different content implies different influences.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009) DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: where old and new media collide. revised version. NYU Press.
Changes in New Media
"Modernism is the umbrella term we give to the way that human society responded to the changes that took place during the industrial revolution." (Creeber, 2009, pg11) New media wasn't simply discovered when the industrial revolution came along but through culture and how it has changed and this was mainly influenced by the coming of modernism.
'The Frankfurt School' has the idea about how the media is like mass production and that media is very like fordism as ford where well known for their mass production and how every car was nearly built the same. "T. Fords were exactly the same. When asked what colours his cars came in, Ford famously replied, ‘any color – as long as it’s black’." (Creeber, 2009, pg13).
"A post-industrial (sometimes known as a post-Fordist) economy is one in which an economic transition has taken place from a manufacturing-based economy to a service-based economy."(Creeber, 2009, pg15). The media went from a mass produced industry also known as the heavy worker society where people didn't have little office jobs but in fact sat behind a desk, also known as the white collar worker. This was due to the growth in the financial industry and that people where becoming more and more involved into 'new media' and this was taken the attention away from the mass production and now "consumption and leisure now determine our experiences rather than work and production. This means that ‘consumer culture’ comes to dominate the cultural sphere"(Creeber, 2009, pg15).
This is a totally different look at what new media is and is saying that it has evolved from the mass production too the 'service based economy'. This means that people used to watch boring standardised rubbish that everyone will maybe like or be able to relate too but instead the media has to be changed as culture has changed so that it fits in with 'consumer culture'. Meaning that media is now tailored to what you like instead of a standard programme for everyone this is due to the mass about of channels that are now available in this modern time.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. Digital Theory: Theorizing New Media (Maidstone: OUP)
The oppression of mass media
Following the idea that if you want to understand new media, you have to look at its history, that is also found in Manovich (2002), Creeber (2009) runs through the most important theories for the analysis of media texts from the twentieth century. Starting with modernism, he mentions the Frankfurt School who held a negative attitude towards the mass media that according to them oppressed the people, an idea that never really fully disappeared and which might hold truth. However, if someone likes Strictly Come Dancing it does not mean that he never engages in any more intellectually challenging activities.
Creeber (2009, p. 14) describes semiotics as a quasi-scientific method of analysis. Structuralism used this method to ground their opinion about the oppression of the masses. However, it should be realized that in semiotics the analysts can find the meanings they want to find, even unconsciously their primed attitudes might have effects on the results. Moreover, even if a certain underlying meaning seems obvious to the objective researcher, it does not mean that the audience will view it in this way, for "bias is very much in the eye of the beholder" (Cumberbatch et al, 1986, p. 15). This negative view on mass media was strengthened by the hypodermic needle view on media effects, which was also present among the audience ever since the radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds that had such a strong impact on its listeners (Sparks, 2011, pp. 56-57).
Postmodernism introduced a more positive way of looking at media effects. After a period with belief in a 'limited-effects' perspective on media in the 1960's (Sparks, 2011, pp. 63-64), an attitude that is less extreme than the hypodermic needle and the limited-effects came to rule the area of media analysis. An example of this is the use of Hall's (1975, pp. 1-19) encoding-decoding model that focusses on the reader. This gave way to the current more positive attitude towards new media enabling democratization.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Ed. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidenstone, Open University Press.
Cumberbatch, G., McGregor, R., Brown, J., and Morrison, D. (1986). Television and the Miners' Strike. London: BFI Broadcasting Research Unit.
Hall, S. (1975). Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse. Birmingham: University of Birmingham
Manovich, L. (2002). The Language of New Media. MIT Press.
Sparks, G. (2011). Media Effects Research - a basic overview. Stamford: Cengage Learning.
Understanding New Media
In order to understand and theorise New Media, Creeber takes us on a journey, beginning with the notion of modernism and how it relates to "old media", before going on to look at post-modernism and its links with New Media, as well as looking at structuralism and post-structuralism along the way.
To begin with, modernism is defined as an umbrella term, describing "how human society responded to changes of industrial revolution" and how, through science, it challenged the traditional "theocratic, God-centred notion of society" (Creeber, 2009, pp.11). Originally providing optimism through its potential to advance society, industrialisation came to be described as "the enemy of free thought and individuality" due to the negative effects well documented, for example, in the First and Second World Wars (Creeber, 2009 pp.12). In an attempt to capture this hypocrisy, the modernist art movement sought to "represent the fragmentation of this new world" (ibid.).
Another notable example of those sharing an antipathy for the media would be The Frankfurt School. Their perception of the media being "a standardised product of industrialisation" led to the development of what they called "The Culture Industry" with the simple the idea that every part of mass culture was the same; TV shows, magazines, films etc. and were simply consumed passively by the masses. (Creeber, 2009 pp.13) This idea was further developed in the structuralist movement which employed the use of semiotics to "decode media texts as signs (to show that) "individuals are shaped by structures over which they have no control" (Creeber, 2009 pp.14).
This ideology is effectively reversed when applied to the notion of post-structuralism, brought about by post-modernism, which is described as being associated with "changes that have taken place after the industrial revolution" (Creeber 2009, pp.15). In comparison to its modernist equivalent, post-structuralism "takes a less deterministic view about the nature of the media as a whole" (Creeber, 2009, pp.15) and this could be due to the fact that, within such a society, there exists a "distrust of a stable and fixed notion of the 'real'"(Creeber, 2009 pp.18).
To begin with, modernism is defined as an umbrella term, describing "how human society responded to changes of industrial revolution" and how, through science, it challenged the traditional "theocratic, God-centred notion of society" (Creeber, 2009, pp.11). Originally providing optimism through its potential to advance society, industrialisation came to be described as "the enemy of free thought and individuality" due to the negative effects well documented, for example, in the First and Second World Wars (Creeber, 2009 pp.12). In an attempt to capture this hypocrisy, the modernist art movement sought to "represent the fragmentation of this new world" (ibid.).
Another notable example of those sharing an antipathy for the media would be The Frankfurt School. Their perception of the media being "a standardised product of industrialisation" led to the development of what they called "The Culture Industry" with the simple the idea that every part of mass culture was the same; TV shows, magazines, films etc. and were simply consumed passively by the masses. (Creeber, 2009 pp.13) This idea was further developed in the structuralist movement which employed the use of semiotics to "decode media texts as signs (to show that) "individuals are shaped by structures over which they have no control" (Creeber, 2009 pp.14).
This ideology is effectively reversed when applied to the notion of post-structuralism, brought about by post-modernism, which is described as being associated with "changes that have taken place after the industrial revolution" (Creeber 2009, pp.15). In comparison to its modernist equivalent, post-structuralism "takes a less deterministic view about the nature of the media as a whole" (Creeber, 2009, pp.15) and this could be due to the fact that, within such a society, there exists a "distrust of a stable and fixed notion of the 'real'"(Creeber, 2009 pp.18).
Creeber, G. (2009) Digital Theory: Theorising New Media (Maidstone: OUP)
Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in Creeber, G. (2009) Digital Theory: Theorising New Media (Maidstone: OUP)
Monday 21 October 2013
Digital Media On The Production Line
Modernism, as Creeber puts it, 'is the umbrella term we give to the way that human society responded to he changes that took place during the industrial revolution' (2009: p.11). This came about around the mid 20th century, as the world was repairing itself from one war, and preparing to go to another. Industrialisation was perceived by many modernists 'as the enemy of free thought and individuality' (Creeber, 2009: p.12)
Industrialisation really only benefited the producers of products, beginning with Henry Ford's T. Fords. This was a way to cut costs, through production and staff, but also a way that companies could produce the same product on a large scale in half the time. The birth of the production line, as apposed to single product work, revolutionised the secondary sector. However, Theodor Adorno, a member of the Germany-fleeing intellectuals from the Frankfurt School describes the way that the music industry is just simply producing the same music over and over again, and selling it to make money.
Post-Modernism comes along slightly after the industrial revolution. Post-industial (or Post-Fodist) was an 'economic transition [...] from a manufacturing based economy to a service-based economy' which saw the 'decline of heavy industry' (Creeber 2009: p.15) Audience interactivity with this new post-modern idea was first thrown about as ideas by Marshall McLuhan, this is highlighted in Paul Levinson's Digital McLuhan (1999) where McLuhan sees the audience as transforming from 'Voyeurs to participants' (Levinson, 1999: p.65-79)
McLuhan really was stumbling across something which years later, is pretty accurate. Television audiences, don't just watch what is happening on the screen, but can also play along, influence and find about more about what they are watching. From the introduction of voting on (originally) Channel 4's 'Big Brother' and ITV's 'X Factor', to the mobile game which rang along side Channel 4's 'Million Pound Drop', to programs such as BBC's 'Children In Need' showing live tweets on-screen.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in ED. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidstone, Open University Press.
Levinson, P. (1999) Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Millenium. Routledge, London.
Industrialisation really only benefited the producers of products, beginning with Henry Ford's T. Fords. This was a way to cut costs, through production and staff, but also a way that companies could produce the same product on a large scale in half the time. The birth of the production line, as apposed to single product work, revolutionised the secondary sector. However, Theodor Adorno, a member of the Germany-fleeing intellectuals from the Frankfurt School describes the way that the music industry is just simply producing the same music over and over again, and selling it to make money.
Post-Modernism comes along slightly after the industrial revolution. Post-industial (or Post-Fodist) was an 'economic transition [...] from a manufacturing based economy to a service-based economy' which saw the 'decline of heavy industry' (Creeber 2009: p.15) Audience interactivity with this new post-modern idea was first thrown about as ideas by Marshall McLuhan, this is highlighted in Paul Levinson's Digital McLuhan (1999) where McLuhan sees the audience as transforming from 'Voyeurs to participants' (Levinson, 1999: p.65-79)
McLuhan really was stumbling across something which years later, is pretty accurate. Television audiences, don't just watch what is happening on the screen, but can also play along, influence and find about more about what they are watching. From the introduction of voting on (originally) Channel 4's 'Big Brother' and ITV's 'X Factor', to the mobile game which rang along side Channel 4's 'Million Pound Drop', to programs such as BBC's 'Children In Need' showing live tweets on-screen.
Bibliography
Creeber, G. (2009). DIGITAL THEORY: Theorizing New Media & Cubitt, D. (2009) Case Study: Digital Aesthetics in ED. Creeber, G. & Royston, M. (2009) Digital Cultures: Understanding New Media; Maidstone, Open University Press.
Levinson, P. (1999) Digital McLuhan: A Guide to the Information Millenium. Routledge, London.
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