In the text, Remediation, Mr. Grusin and Mr. Bolter make the claim that new and old media are not in competition, one trying to conquer the other, but are involved in a much more complicated relationship. The new media incorporates features of the old, to create a better media (14-15). They do not compete, but merge. The authors also mention that immediacy and hypermediacy are “mutually dependent” (6), and this combination of media is prevalent in history.
Cave paintings involved scenes of life at the time of the paintings, such as hunting and death, some more detailed than others, some conveying multiple meanings. Hieroglyphics retained the notion of using images, this time for the religious, political and general life around Egypt, but added their version of text to the images, and indicated by size and space the importance of the characters painted. Thus here was a multi-media document, as it were.
After the fall of Roman in the West, manuscripts included text and images, these being closely related to the text. As paper and printing took hold, the publishers saw for some time the importance of using illustrating specialists in the copy. Much later, there were multimedia posters, with text and image, presented to display a quick and effective message, such as World War I and II exhortations, as well as Nazi and Soviet propaganda. Yet the joining of the image and text remained, and the poster took advantage of the clarity of print. Newspapers retained this clarity, though the text often was smaller, and more words could be fit onto a page. As well, newspapers combined text and images, including drawings, and photographs. Putting the headlines on the first page and adding the photo of a public figure to relate to large text, is an echo to the letter illustrations in the manuscripts. The text mentions even postcards, which include images and text (14), again, a reflection of the manuscript.
Film involved the use of some text, but most importantly a series of virtually redundant pictures to produce the illusion of movement. Sound also combined with text and image. Also, the well-made films gave the viewer a sense of experiencing the moment on the screen, and even forgetting that the experience is only movie. Then, television had the advantage of images and text broadcast to distant areas, but still maintained the advantages of film. The multimedia website—uses the past advantages of the manuscript, the printing press, and the newspaper, but also the ability to broadcast and receive moving images, with the advantages of television. Now, the users can choose what to experience on the site, and some can take the users to explore ancient cave paintings as this class has done, or to take an in-depth look at the International Space Station. As well, there are web-cams, borrowing from the television, for the viewer to see Norway, the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, or even spots in the United States.
Next, they state that the newer media are forged not in a vacuum, but in the crucible of the surrounding culture (19). The manuscript came from a religious, political and economic on text, and printing, starting from the religious climate at the time, grew into an instrument of massive political implications, from the press came the handbills, and newspapers, later radio, television and the internet. The point is that all these came from the context of the society, and not invaders from without (19).
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Politics and the Pen
I never grasped that the financial instruments we have today, even currency, had to have origins. The evolution of paper money, alone, is fascinating, as well as the creation of other written transactions.
While we look with fascination from these chapters at these marvels, we must also consider the pen not as a merely neutral device, but one that can be used for good or ill.
States, including the Church, used writing to control their realms. One of their methods was by “counting and categorizing” (287), using, for example, baptism records, as well as burial documentation and wedding information (287). Advertiser, today, use various media to do far more than this, but that is quite another story.
The Church worked with bankers such as the Fuggers. In the case of the latter, the Church would give out receipts for payment for indulgences, which greatly profited the Church as well as the bankers (285). That the Church would behave so unethically is one thing, but that they would actually record the event is quite another matter. Even more interesting was the idea from the Council of Trent to make lists (and check twice) of who the supposedly true Catholics were, thus making Jews and Protestants “nonpersons” (288). Through writing, the state was able to institutionalize, even codify, discrimination.
Governments, however, found themselves controlled by these same outside financial entities, such as the pope by the Medicis, and the German emperor by the Fuggers (284). The leaders faced a gauntlet of documentation, such as loan agreements for launching war (284). The text gives an example of ascencios, special “exchange contracts” to trade credit from the bankers for the precious metals Spain carried from the New World (285). With writing inventions such as the exchange contracts and the loan agreements, the bankers could easily dictate policy to the states. A good topic to study would be the written transactions from the Genoese and Venetians to the Crusading armies, as the latter needed funding.
France used writing to further the courts and taxation (289), but there were problems in that the crown tried to tax in a highly stratified society (290). Written records exposed the weaknesses (290), and thus the crown’s vulnerability.
Writing also influenced the political climate, with disastrous results for the monarchy in France. The printing press granted citizenry greater access of information, such as handbills and posters, and thus announcements to bring about mass movements, and ultimately, revolution (296).
The new inventions, such as the telephone, telegraph and computer, can also be media that the state could control. Indeed, the Germans and the French did for a time make telephones into a state monopoly (471). The text discusses briefly on how evil leaders such as Hitler can use media. The point is, whether one is talking about radio or simulcasts, handbills or posters, the state can not only create a monopoly on the media but also, a monopoly on information. Martin expresses the danger of government control (504-506), and I quite agree with him. There are plenty of examples, like the Nazis and the Soviets, to warrant eternal vigilance.
While we look with fascination from these chapters at these marvels, we must also consider the pen not as a merely neutral device, but one that can be used for good or ill.
States, including the Church, used writing to control their realms. One of their methods was by “counting and categorizing” (287), using, for example, baptism records, as well as burial documentation and wedding information (287). Advertiser, today, use various media to do far more than this, but that is quite another story.
The Church worked with bankers such as the Fuggers. In the case of the latter, the Church would give out receipts for payment for indulgences, which greatly profited the Church as well as the bankers (285). That the Church would behave so unethically is one thing, but that they would actually record the event is quite another matter. Even more interesting was the idea from the Council of Trent to make lists (and check twice) of who the supposedly true Catholics were, thus making Jews and Protestants “nonpersons” (288). Through writing, the state was able to institutionalize, even codify, discrimination.
Governments, however, found themselves controlled by these same outside financial entities, such as the pope by the Medicis, and the German emperor by the Fuggers (284). The leaders faced a gauntlet of documentation, such as loan agreements for launching war (284). The text gives an example of ascencios, special “exchange contracts” to trade credit from the bankers for the precious metals Spain carried from the New World (285). With writing inventions such as the exchange contracts and the loan agreements, the bankers could easily dictate policy to the states. A good topic to study would be the written transactions from the Genoese and Venetians to the Crusading armies, as the latter needed funding.
France used writing to further the courts and taxation (289), but there were problems in that the crown tried to tax in a highly stratified society (290). Written records exposed the weaknesses (290), and thus the crown’s vulnerability.
Writing also influenced the political climate, with disastrous results for the monarchy in France. The printing press granted citizenry greater access of information, such as handbills and posters, and thus announcements to bring about mass movements, and ultimately, revolution (296).
The new inventions, such as the telephone, telegraph and computer, can also be media that the state could control. Indeed, the Germans and the French did for a time make telephones into a state monopoly (471). The text discusses briefly on how evil leaders such as Hitler can use media. The point is, whether one is talking about radio or simulcasts, handbills or posters, the state can not only create a monopoly on the media but also, a monopoly on information. Martin expresses the danger of government control (504-506), and I quite agree with him. There are plenty of examples, like the Nazis and the Soviets, to warrant eternal vigilance.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Memory and Advertising
Mark WalkerEnglish 701Reflections on the readings for 10/4
These articles again dispel the misconception that the Middle Ages were of nothing but ignorance. On the contrary, the way the people then dealt with the issue of memory was quite sophisticated. Considering the number of people who try to sell their memory-methods today, it is an ongoing issue.
I would like to explore the realm of advertising and how the field has made great use of methods for memory, albeit for mercenary pursuits. Oresme used imagery in his Aristotle translation to persuade (Gossett 28), but even he would have to admit that modern methods would eave him far behind. Advertising uses any existing medium, such as paper, radio, or television, and the internet. Madison Avenue bombards us with images and text, and often, there is sound as well, and the sound, image and text combine to compel the audience to remember, whether they like it or not—and buy the product. Images can be centered if on print or screen. In the computers ads may leap out of position and hijack the page for a few moments, images flashing by and text explaining what it is the producers of the ad want to sell.
The advertisers manipulate even individual letters as well. In a magazine article—Newsweek, I believe--from the 1970s, I read how the advertisers even used consonants not only to enhance memory but to fit the product. Toilet tissue was sold with s’s and soft c’s. For example, “Ceries is gentle and soft” while trucks bore k’s, hard c’s and t’s. For example “Kod trucks are tough!” The tissue is displayed lovingly, with the voice of a female. In the other case, on television, the image is of the truck, moving, bouncing over obligatory rocky Western terrain, and the deep, gruff voice of a male.
Unlike the medieval manuscripts, however, the commercial images may have absolutely nothing in themselves to do with any text. The picture of a warm family gathering may be linked with a text encouraging the reader to buy Rotgut Beer or a passenger van. Or the images may contain dialogue and a funny story, totally unrelated to the cell phone advertised.
Picture this actual advertisement, broadcast before some of the readers were born. Amidst a background of Gregorian Chant, a monk arrives from the scriptorium and tells the abbot that he has finished the manuscript. The abbot points his finger in the air and announces that he would like to have 500 copies. Desperate, the monk consults Xerox ™, which saves the day. The abbot, unaware of the association, looks at the sheaf of papers, not noticing the medium is not parchment, and declares a miracle. Both look up to the big letters of the company logo, but each for very different reasons. At this point, the Chant rallies with new vigor.
Here are multimodal considerations. The setting is in a dark monastery, the music from many monks offstage, the portrayals by the actors, and a seemingly discordant note, the Xerox™ copy machine. I don’t think the machine would be out of place, after the monks understand how it works. After all, these ignorant Dark Age primitives had developed a number of revolutionary inventions.
One more consideration is that after reading, I see that the monks wanted the readers to store information in their memory for an indefinite period, while commercials are short-term, with only one object in mind and that is the sale.
These articles again dispel the misconception that the Middle Ages were of nothing but ignorance. On the contrary, the way the people then dealt with the issue of memory was quite sophisticated. Considering the number of people who try to sell their memory-methods today, it is an ongoing issue.
I would like to explore the realm of advertising and how the field has made great use of methods for memory, albeit for mercenary pursuits. Oresme used imagery in his Aristotle translation to persuade (Gossett 28), but even he would have to admit that modern methods would eave him far behind. Advertising uses any existing medium, such as paper, radio, or television, and the internet. Madison Avenue bombards us with images and text, and often, there is sound as well, and the sound, image and text combine to compel the audience to remember, whether they like it or not—and buy the product. Images can be centered if on print or screen. In the computers ads may leap out of position and hijack the page for a few moments, images flashing by and text explaining what it is the producers of the ad want to sell.
The advertisers manipulate even individual letters as well. In a magazine article—Newsweek, I believe--from the 1970s, I read how the advertisers even used consonants not only to enhance memory but to fit the product. Toilet tissue was sold with s’s and soft c’s. For example, “Ceries is gentle and soft” while trucks bore k’s, hard c’s and t’s. For example “Kod trucks are tough!” The tissue is displayed lovingly, with the voice of a female. In the other case, on television, the image is of the truck, moving, bouncing over obligatory rocky Western terrain, and the deep, gruff voice of a male.
Unlike the medieval manuscripts, however, the commercial images may have absolutely nothing in themselves to do with any text. The picture of a warm family gathering may be linked with a text encouraging the reader to buy Rotgut Beer or a passenger van. Or the images may contain dialogue and a funny story, totally unrelated to the cell phone advertised.
Picture this actual advertisement, broadcast before some of the readers were born. Amidst a background of Gregorian Chant, a monk arrives from the scriptorium and tells the abbot that he has finished the manuscript. The abbot points his finger in the air and announces that he would like to have 500 copies. Desperate, the monk consults Xerox ™, which saves the day. The abbot, unaware of the association, looks at the sheaf of papers, not noticing the medium is not parchment, and declares a miracle. Both look up to the big letters of the company logo, but each for very different reasons. At this point, the Chant rallies with new vigor.
Here are multimodal considerations. The setting is in a dark monastery, the music from many monks offstage, the portrayals by the actors, and a seemingly discordant note, the Xerox™ copy machine. I don’t think the machine would be out of place, after the monks understand how it works. After all, these ignorant Dark Age primitives had developed a number of revolutionary inventions.
One more consideration is that after reading, I see that the monks wanted the readers to store information in their memory for an indefinite period, while commercials are short-term, with only one object in mind and that is the sale.
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