DigitalWriting

In Bolter’s article, he explores the relationship between immediacy and hypermediacy in the use of new technology.

• Immediacy is basically viewing images, videos, and scenes that are artificially constructed and believing that they are real aka virtual reality.
• Hypermediacy is the opposite. It is ability to  identify and understand the artificial constructs.

Paradoxically, the two are connected and separated at the same time. You can’t have one without the other. In movies and computer screens, the idea is to make it as visually appealing and “just like” reality as easily possible. But it is still not real. Here is where Bolter introduces the idea of remediacy, which is the attempt to change or refashion an older form of media like television did for motion pictures and as radio did for newspapers.

Interests:

What is so interesting about this is the idea of 3D and now 4D movies and how applicable it is. One can only guess what may come next.

Questions:

What I wonder about is the relationship between the information we recieve and art. I can’t help but think of media as a medium just as a canvas or a wall is the background of a painting. It is all pretty connected. You could say that the writer and designer play the role of an artist even though it may just as simple as a news site. Consider the differences between fox and cnn news.

This chapter deals with the design principle of emphasis.

Emphasis “states tha the most important element on the page should be the most promient, the second most important should be secondary…” This differs from contrast in that the importance of elements needs to have a logical order, which is known as a visual hierarchy. Contrast on the other hand deals with differences in visual gravity.  It showed some of the value and differences that capitalization, bolding, centering, and visual effects can have upon a document or any other form of media.

Further Inquiries:

What the text offered as a problem with contrast is that it has a tendency to be used in overabundance. I would like to see examples of this, so that the problem might be avoided.

Interests:

I also liked the fact that the author pointed out the oveusage of Times New Roman as a font. Its almost like a whitewashing effect that draws no attention without some contrasting fonts.  Also the author went into the state of emphasis in visual heirachy have specific messages and their clarity.

This article describes the current condition and relationships between media and information. It typifies the type of culture we are currently in: parcipatory.

“A participatory culture is culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices.” Basically this identifies the internet community of many forums and blogs.

He goes on to identify four different types of participatory cultures: affliations which require membership. Expressions dabble in creating new forms of material. Collaborative problem solving is pretty self-explanatory and Circulations— Shaping the flow of media (such as podcasting, blogging).

There are also some issues that arrise in the advent of a participatory culture:

• The participatory gap – unequal access to this culture due to social constraints
• The transparency Problem – the inability to discern the wealth of information in a digital media society
• The Ethics Challenge – traditional ways of training have changed form and thus create difficulties in creating ethical norms in the internet communities

Further Inquiry:

These issues are relative to today’s problems. The gap in participation is relative to the ideas of affirmitive action. the Transparency problem seems the same as the average person who engulfs everything that is seen on TV. What would be curious to find out is the solution to this problem. Since there is so much information available on the internet, what is the recourse for knowing what is not only reliable, but also truthful. Everyone has an opinion.

Interest:

What I find interesting is a quote: “According to a 2005 study conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life project, more than one-half of all American teens—and 57 percent of teens who use the Internet—could be considered media creators.” It shows the possibilities that a participatory can have. This more than doubles what may have been figured before. It shows the growing relationship between technology and innovation and education.

I really like all of the information. It is concise and easily understood. The images are all complementary and help the reader to visualize the content.

Design Problems:

• There is nothing on the home page, major issues, and key definitions. There is an untitled page sitting in the table of contents. I would like to have a working definition of Digital Writing, at least to give the reader a sense of where the information is headed. An introduction would probably help in each of these pages when they only have subpages.
• A lot of the different pages are in a different font and headings. This inconsistency inhibits readability.

The Table of Contents

• We could use a more logical progression with our topics

25 Sept 2012 – 1 hour. C.R.A.P. Page (under process)

29 Sept 2012 – 3 hour. Introduction

2 Oct 2012 – 1 hour. Introduction, Issues (Ethics, Transparency, Participatory)

Remediation and Immediacy are ways of understanding Digital writing and New Media.

Remediation is basically taking old media and transforming it into new media. We used to take videos and store them in our cabinets. Now, we take them in place them on YouTube and other video sharing websites. Letter discussions have been transformed into discussion boards and forums.

Meritocracy society is created by the accessibility of new media. Skills word usage and

What do I want to know about digital writing?

Why is this important?

How to effectively use digital writing to maximize the informations comprehensibility and learning curve.

The influences on present day society and the changes that have occurred since its introduction. How has this affected communication and information sharing on an individual scale and community scale?

Possibly placing a tangible worth on digital writing. What are some of the strengths of digital writing and what are some of the weaknesses? How can these weaknesses be identified and avoided. (Affordances)

What concerns do you have with digital writing?

Copyright information

Lines between effectively using digital writing (free speech) and manipulation (subliminal messaging and propaganda)

Keeping up with the Jetsons… being able to stay with the technological advances

What is New Media?

The simple answer to a contemporary topic: all that is under the sun in this new era of the computer. Basically, if you use a computer to get to it, view it, or read it, it qualifies as new media. The pictures that you used to develop at Wal-Mart now come in a CD format to look on the computer. Guess what, they just fell under new media.

What are the impacts of New Media? All images are now viewed in numerical data

How did it become new?

Since this is the “now” generation, digital writing answers the upcoming tasks that are needed to fit this society. Everything has to happen at the fastest time that it possibly can. Digital writing helps that aspect.

Even this ability to pull out a document and write freely without taking up any physical space allows us to meet the challenges of today. This is contrasted with the previous methods of writing and communicating. Digital writing allows an almost infinite number of drafts for a finished copy. Conversely, for every letter and draft a physical copy and paper had to be used. In this time and place, speed is highly valued. Almost every aspect of life is effected

The use of play is found in the way the video used the building to demonstrate the words of the song.

Performance is found in the simple use of costumes sometimes found in the use of “avatars” and usernames.

Simulation, also known as acting is seen the way the people demonstrated the words of the song. When money was said in the song, the “actors” would throw green paper in the air or show oversized money.

Appropriation is an obvious one.

Engl 307t

Digital writing.

Writing in the Digital age/context: abbreviations; spacing, font usage; color; highlighting; imaging; html

Examples that I participate in: text messaging, emails, social media “posts”, forums,