new media quiz
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Stony Brook University *
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216
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Philosophy
Date
Apr 3, 2024
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8
Uploaded by CoachTitanium6282
New Media Key Concepts.. And Concepts
1. What is the compare and contrast between each of the paired categories?
Information/network, interface/interactivity, archive/simulation.
The network that is described in the book
New Media Concept
, depicts this ever
impending invisible cloak that strategically organizes our society in many different ways.
What started out as a strictly technological term, the word network has developed into a
way of structuring society. The term information describes something that can be
described as the network’s “currency”. It is a currency of the most value and for this
reason, a lot is at stake when dealing with it since capitalists are always looming.
Information and network are both means for capitalism to control us by dividing us by
things like wealth, or by simply subconsciously directing our futures. They differ in the
sense that one is a tool (network), and the other is more like a currency (information).
Interface is, again, a tool. A way in which different technological systems
communicate with each other, it is similar to what networks are but less abstract. But
because it is the connectivity between systems, it simultaneously means it is also the
connectivity between humans. Interactivity, on the other hand, is what is created using
the tool (the interface). Interactivity could be seen as the energy flowing from one
subject to another whether that be between humans, video game systems, airlines etc.
Together, they are both similar in the sense that they are only utilized when the other is
being utilized, always in sync.
The archive is the digital storage facility where all information is kept. We can
think of it as the great motherboard of cyberspace, composed of smaller motherboard
units and so on and so forth. The archive is not everchanging, but instead, is constantly
getting larger. Space is not infinite, and neither is time, which is why this archive will
most likely never reach its full capacity. My favorite word used to describe what a
simulation is is hyperreal. The simulation is able to conquer our senses and provoke our
imagination and brain into being alive in a dream. Hesitantly, I say that living in a
simulation can be
nearly
as fulfilling as living in the real world is. However, unlike the
real world, the simulation can never be
as
fulfilling as progress in the real world is
because of the idea that there are puppet strings attached to every aspect of a simulation
and therefore the risk is not as great as it is in the real world, thereby creating less fear
and less intensity. The archive and the simulation similarly provide an access point for
most humans to enter a separate world where you can micromanage a different world.
2. Do we rely more on networks rather than pure information in our daily lives? (refer to push
and pull media and Mcluhan). Throughout the first few chapters, it discusses this idea of user
information and how media revolves around their lives.
I believe that we completely rely more on networks than pure information in our daily
lives. This can be proven in a multitude of ways. For one, most people do not fetch current news,
it is generally not delivered via the television any longer, unless you are from an older crowd.
Instead, our news is received in different forms of social media. Interestingly enough, for the
younger generation, we learn of a lot of things going on through memes and instagram posts.
Most of us are addicted to our phones so we are kind of in limp mode relying on our morning
scroll to fill us in on anything we missed while we were taking a snooze.
To be fair, pure information is very hard to come by nowadays. I feel that there are
serious trust issues implemented in society because of fake news and opinionated posts that
bleed into our brains as facts instead of things to be taken then carefully analyzed. When you are
spoon fed anything for so long you become very dependent very quickly without realizing. This
is how push media works. It makes people very lazy and easy targets.
I think I am self-aware of this societal issue so when I encounter push media, I try to
transform it into pull media by seeking out the topic of interest myself through a source I trust
myself. This has been very tricky since a lot of online media sources have been turning into
forms of push media because it has become really hard to avoid polarization any which way you
look. Pursuing true information has become an arduous quest.
3. Pull simulation seems to have replaced push entertainment, why and how?
Throughout the Interface chapter, Manovich example of this pulling simulation is evident when
he discusses pulling specific information from databases (58).
Pull simulation refers to entertainment we seek out ourselves. Thanks to new age media
and technology, we no longer have to go to great lengths to have a dose of serotonin, we can
simply reach for our phones or computers to achieve that very goal. A couple of decades ago, the
only forms of technological entertainment we had access to were televisions (minus paid
services), and some of us had early forms of video games and computers. The stuff we watched
on television was programmed and split into parts by commercials and advertisements (push
media), and we retrieved our news and weather information mostly by relying on news channels.
Push entertainment was clearly guided by television that we had limited freedom with.
Television channels were very simple and numbered so “they” had more control over what we
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watched. Manovich states in
New Media Key Concepts
that the term interface is a larger
umbrella term than we may initially think since hardcopy books, magazines, and newspapers all
count in addition to digital technology.
Manovich goes on to explain that simulation is the new age form of entertainment. Every
simple creation by mankind is being evolved into a digital format to gain acceptance or interest
in this generation. He gives a few great examples, such as the cut and paste command replacing
scissors and glue, or the internet replacing the library. We now have every tool in our arsenal
because of these ultimately very powerful machines anyone is able to buy.
4. What would a future mash-up of these six categories look like in a consumer item? Describe
it, Invent it, and market it to and for real 'use' of the 'prosummer' ...how and why it would
sell/proliferate.
Living in this era where virtual reality has grown immensely and will still grow,
the introduction of a new item placed in the fingertips of the consumer’s daily
life is ideal.
A future mash up of network, information, interface, archive, interactivity, and
simulation that enables the consumer to essentially have their world at their fingertips is a
crazy thing to imagine. I instantly ask myself, how do we avoid the terrors presented in
Pixar’s Wall-E? I am scared to live a life so unplugged from reality that I lose sight of
what’s most important: my health. We are gifted with these bodies and souls that I feel
would be neglected in a world so overly simulated.
As Manovich explained in the text, technology continues to just transform things
that already are into more efficient or better versions of themselves. I am really taken lately
with Peloton. I think it takes elliptical training to a whole new level where users are riding
elliptical bicycles but have screens that mimic new landscapes and territories. They also
hone in on one of humanity’s most distinctive features that give us the drive to get better:
competition!
I imagine a Peloton bike that can take us from place to place like a real bicycle
would. This bike could be kept in a large dark room with screens all around that would
simulate real life where we could meet with others and compete for money and fame. This
peloton bike would be the means to keeping our actual bodies in optimal health while
living in an augmented reality type of world that we might not be able to escape from. I
feel that as a means of transportation, these bikes could be “locked up” outside different
places and the consumer would dismount the bike and put on VR glasses that would assist
the consumer into walking into a virtual building or place. Perhaps, the user could
dismount the bike and mount an assisted treadmill (that will stop when the user stops
walking to prevent injury and maintain accuracy).
5. Narratives are most of what make the 'usevalue' of objects and services work. They form part
of 'exchange value' and 'engineer desire' toward 'memes', 'branding', and cultural artifacts. To
that end, write a treatment for a reality TV show that combines the six elements in the book and
some sort of 4 game theory structures. What is the 'Nash Equilibrium' in your plan?
My proposal for a reality television idea that integrates network, information, interface,
archive, and interactivity is something inspired by my love of racing cars and motorcycles, and
Japan’s notoriously infamous
Midnight Club
from the late eighties and early nineties. Sim
racing is a huge deal these days, real life Formula-1 racers and professional racers from other
disciplines can race each other using Playstation and other systems to win contingency and
fame the same way you would in real life. Since the new world revolves around moving from
one technological system to another, it would only be fitting to include driving simulators.
Reality shows are known as guilty pleasures because we watch people do things we
probably wouldn’t dream of doing in real life, and this somehow relaxes us because we get to
see what the outcomes would be and rest assured knowing the answers to things we tend to be
curious about. A lot can go wrong in a reality that is literally dangling on puppet strings handled
by tech gods and people with a lot of money. People can definitely expect to go bankrupt, like
that woman from the augmented reality video who had her chip cut out of the palm of her hand.
Would augmented reality be augmented reality without the opportunity to hit a reset button?
This is where a cynical businessman comes into play. People who are looking for a way out of a
hole can be selected to race cars against each other on the virtual streets with the chance of
getting caught by cops and facing penalties (would we ever get to a place where these penalties
translate into real life sentences?).
Street racing is extremely dangerous which is a reason why this reality show would have
a lot at stake. This is where the utility and equilibrium elements of game theory would come
into play, there would be great satisfaction from beating your opponents in these underground
street races since there is a lot of adrenaline involved and a large money pot to win as well as
clearing your life from all its debts and issues. The Nash Equilibrium for this virtual Midnight
Club would be real life race rules but inverted. When you race these fast expensive machines
against others and everyone’s life is being risked, there are heavy penalties for misconduct and
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poor sportsmanship, in this proposed virtual Midnight Club, the Nash Equilibrium involves
hitting other racers and damaging their cars. You interfere with other’s race course trajectories
or equipment and you get however many more points than if you followed the raceline and paid
no mind to messing with others. If you sync up with another racer and form a team against
others, you get less points than if you were to sabotage on your… so on and so forth.
6. How would you combine this into our devised piece?
Obviously most elements of philosophy would play a large part in my reality game
proposal. Just accepting the invite to the game could violate deontology and divine ethics (if one
believes in a higher power). The game itself is all about violating street laws and potentially
wreaking havoc on property and putting others at risk. Not to mention, to get ahead in the game
you would have to take things a step further to abide by the Nash Equilibrium’s points system.
Deciding which philosophy theories to abide by kind of goes to showcase what kind of person
and what kind of morals you have to the viewers watching.
Virtue ethics is a theory based on one’s moral character and how accurate their moral
compass is. I think that off the bat, this theory would be violated if someone were to enter this
race. The argument could be that there are other ways in which to make money and fix one’s life.
However, utilitarianism is a theory that I think we can work with. Utilitarians believe that the
best actions to take are the ones that would benefit the greatest number of people. Let’s say a
Midnight Club racer is entering this race to be able to sponsor school systems in a poor country
that would in turn educate young children and these children would grow up able to contribute to
their community and lead to a domino effect of positive changes? Then entering this race would
satisfy the utilitarian way of thinking.
So from a spectator’s point of view, you are watching racers compete for the win while
observing what philosophies and virtues they are violating. Would you be willing to disguise
your race car as a police car to slip through the streets? Would you be willing to physically
impair other’s racecars while racing? Would you be willing to finish in last place after realizing
that this game violates all of your virtues? It can be seen as a battle of the philosophies if the
participants are chosen carefully. This way you can watch humanity pick sides, as they often do
watching reality game shows, and watch people reveal themselves.