Some Design of New Media

1. October 2, 2014

3. The Five Principles of
New (or Digital) Media
As enumerated by Lev Manovich in The Language
of New Media:
1)Numerical Representation
2)Modularity
3)Automation
4)Variability
5)Transcoding

4. Numerical
Representation
Basically, what this means is that everything
in digital media exists as code (literally
reducable to binary code).
Why is that important?
You tell me.

5. 0100100101110100001000000110110101100101011000010110111001110
0110010000001110100011010000110000101110100001000000110000101
1011000110110000100000011101110111001001101001011101000110100
1011011100110011100100000011010010111001100100000011011100110
1111011101110010000001100001011011000111001101101111001000000
1100100011000010111010001100001001011000010000001100001011011
1001100100001000000110100101110100001000000110001101100001011
0111000100000011000100110010100100000011011010110000101101110
0110100101110000011101010110110001100001011101000110010101100
1000010000001110111011010010111010001101000001000000110000101
1011000110110000100000011101000110100001100101001000000111010
0011100100110100101100011011010110111001100100000011011110110
0110001000000110001101101111011011010111000001110101011101000
1100101011100100010000001100001011011100110010000100000011011
0101100001011000110110100001101001011011100110010100100000011
1000001110010011011110110011101110010011000010110110101101101
0110100101101110011001110010000000101110

6. Modularity
Modularity refers to the ability of new media pieces
to be taken as “pieces” and reassembled into
different wholes.
For example, I can place a “widget” with my Twitter
feed on my website, or on my desktop, or send it to
my phone. It’s the same “twitter” content, but it fits
into a nifty little “module” for reuse.

7. Automation
Automation, in Manovich’s pentad, is the
ability of software (or hardware) to allow for
the manipulation of data using templates or
other tools.
Quickmeme.com is an example. iMovie is an
example.

9. Variability
Variability means that there is more than one way to
experience a new media creation.
Quick! Everyone go to Google. I know that Michael
Jordan and Scottie Pippen were on all six Chicago
Bulls world championship teams. Find out who the
other 3 starters were on the 1997-98 team.

11. Transcoding
Transcoding is the conversion of something from
one media to another. For example, I keep asking
you to remember to save your Photoshop
documents (PSDs) as .jpg or .png files. This is a
transcoding action.
Transcoding has much deeper implications,
however, for audio and video, since algorithms
allow once huge raw media files to be
compressed and shared (e.g. mp3 files)

12. These become important
As ways for us to consider the differences in writing,
art, communication and consumption in digital culture.
How do you see these issues as having a profound
impact on how we create and share?

13. Logo Workshop
Pair off.
Share your logo and your memo/letter.
As you read the other person’s materials and
look at the logo, look at the assignment sheet.
Comment on how well they followed the
directions and fulfilled the criteria.
Also tell them the one thing you’d change if it
was YOUR project to submit.
Then rotate and share with another person.
Then a third, time permitting.

14. For Tuesday:
read: chapter 1 and 2 of Whitespace is
Not Your Enemy (linked from
schedule)