Tuesday 6 November 2007

Seminar 6: Focus on Coursework

Choose ONE of the following questions:


1) ‘The supposedly distinct characteristics of new media: digital convergence; many-to-many communication; interactivity; globalisation; virtuality are arguably, with the possible exception of the specifically technical, not new at all’ (Silverstone, 1999: 11). Critically examine the problems in defining “new media”.

2) ‘ . . . The personal and social consequences of any medium- that is, of any extension of ourselves- results from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology.’ (McLuhan, 1964: 7). Using examples of “new” and “old” media, elucidate and analyse the theory of media technology known as technological determinism.

3) ‘Any particular technology is then as it were a by-product of a social process that is otherwise determined. It only acquires effective status when it is used for purposes which are already contained in this known social process’ (Williams, 1974: 6). Using examples of “new” and “old” media elucidate and analyse the theory of media technology that focuses on the social shaping of technology.

4) Kranzberg’s first law of technology states that “Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.” Discuss this law in relation to any of the theories you have looked at in this module.

5) With the advent of digital technology ‘Sound becomes a series of partial objects for engineering, rather than an object of admiration for heavenly metaphorics.’ (Mackay in Ansell, 1997: 253). Critically examine how digital technology has changed the relationship of producers and consumers to media content.

6) Critically examine Manovich’s view that interactivity as a unique aspect of new media is a “myth” (2001: 55).

7) Examine the validity of Gordon Graham’s statement that an online or virtual community ‘is a second-rate form of community’ (1999: 145).

8) ‘It is not just that the tools and issues brought to the fore by internet art are current, and therefore relevant to how we live now. Internet art is part of a continuum within art history that includes strategies such as instructions, appropriation, dematerialisation, networks and information.’ (Greene, Rachel, Internet Art, 2004) Does New Media offer artists anything new?



The DEADLINE for Assignment One will be at the end of Week 8, on Friday 23 November at 12pm. Essays should be handed it to the Student Advice Centre.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

my name is Kay, and number 7 is the one i am doing.

p.s

i am going to write about many things, but mostly i shall be...

defining a community
examining how that definition matches up with the characeristics of various online communities
and then..
i will also.. identify unique attributes of virtual communities and examine the advantages and disadvantages of these.
i might also
write stuff i read out of books. but not just any books, relevent books.

the end

Anonymous said...

Question 10:

I would like to examine what is meant by 'reform rather than revolutionize an information and entertainment economy' How can it be reformed, what changes can be made? or have to be made? and what difference will it make?

I intend to look at what is meant by 'The cult of the Amateur' before addressing how it is effecting New media. (For example the role of 'blogging')

Is web 2.0 destroying mainstream media? For example new media makes it possible to watch TV therefore is the need for television as a mainstream media decreasing?

Anonymous said...

I am answering number seven.

Summarising Graham's viewpoint.
Comparing this to modern forms of virtual communities and modern lifestyles.
And lots of reading material to see if i can argue for and against his point....

Anonymous said...

Question 9

'Web 2.0 is the network as platform, spanning all connected devices; Web 2.0 applications are those that make the most of the intrinsic advantages of that platform: delivering software as a continually-updated service that gets better the more people use it, consuming and remixing data from multiple sources, including individual users, while providing their own data and services in a form that allows remixing by others, creating network effects through n "architecture of participation," and going beyond the page metaphor of Web 1.0 to deliver rich user experiences.' Using examples, explain and critically examine O'Reilly's definition of Web 2.0.

Anonymous said...

I will be attempting to answer Number 7.

I intend to examine Gordon Grahams statement that an online community is a second -rate form of community.?

I will define a 'community' in its original form then examine how virtual communities live up to this role.

I will look at the pros and cons so to speak of virtual communities. Also examine how much virtual communities effect our day to day lives.

Anonymous said...

I am going to look at the various aspect that O'Reilly defines as being Web 2.0 and consider how well this model can be applied to the internet and web as it is today.

The Web 2.0 business model will also be studied and argued whether it is good or bad for the audience/consumers.

Anonymous said...

11. 'Technology is not good. Technology is not bad. Technology is not neutral.' Discuss the aphorism with reference to theories of technology and culture such as Technological Determinism, Social Shaping of Technology and Actor Network Theory.

I am going to look and many different things during my essay. Some things that I may touch upon will be:

Theorist and theories about Technological Determinism.
Theorists and theories about the Social Shaping of Technology.
Theorists and theories about Actor network theory.

I will use the views of these various theorist to back up my opinion for each argument, looking at key concepts within each subject.

Dr. Armitage Shanks said...

5. With the advent of digital technology 'Sound becomes a series of partial objects for engineering, rather than an object of admiration for heavenly metaphorics.' (Mackay in Ansell, 1997: 253). Critically examine how digital technology has changed the relationship of producers and consumers to media content.

In tackling this question, I would like to address how the music industry has been transformed by the advent of mp3 downloads, with iTunes and Napster, even MySpace to a lesser extent.

This would take into account aspects such as the valuation of music (challenged recently by Radiohead's bold decision to release their latest album online, asking fans to choose how much they wanted to pay) and the lifting of the barriers between musician and their audience (how a fervent online MySpace following propelled Lily Allen and Kate Nash to gsme, and how filesharing turned the Arctic Monkeys into a No. 1 chart hit success).

Therefore, I could even touch upon how this has affected marketing and record labels (and how the UK singles charts have now been altered to take into account mp3 download sales, as well as physical CD sales). So there's quite a lot I could discuss in relation to this subject.

Anonymous said...

I will be answering question 10 - Andrew Keen's idea that the cult of the amateur is destroying mainstream media culture.

There will be lots of conflicting views on this so I can back up my ideas from lots of sources.

I also have a personal interest, as I am also studying journalism and it is interesting to think about where the industry is going in the wake of the cult of the amateur,

Anonymous said...

I'm going to answer question 4 for my new media essay.

The main body of my essay will discuss the different meaning of convergence in relation to the new media we have been discussing in lectures and seminars.

I will also gives examples, and reasons for weather i agree with the proposals i shall present within the essay.

I will look at the advantages and disadvantages that the different types of convergence present in order to decide upon the most significant form of convergence for the future of new media.

Anonymous said...

I'll be answering question number 4.

I will be discussing the different types of convergence and discuss the different contexts in which the word 'convergence' is used in. I also plan to discuss the many different meanings of 'convergence'.

I'll also be looking at which type of convergence will be more significant in terms of new media with reference to lectures and other academic sources.

Anonymous said...

Answering question 4) Kranzberg’s first law of technology states that “Technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral.”
I will reference to the social shaping of technology and actor network theory to discuss how his law is quite accurate in explaining how the internet is more about the uses of it than an actual good or evil

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