Networks of

RemediationJuly 11, 2011

Netw

orks

of

Rem

edia

tion Each [medium] participates in a

network of technical, social, and economic contexts; this network constitutes the medium as a technology” (65).

Netw

orks

of

Rem

edia

tion A medium in our

culture can never operate in isolation, because it must enter into relationships of respect and rivalry with other media” (65).

What is a Medium?

What is a Medium?For Bolter and Grusin, a “medium”

is “that which remediates.”

However, for them, a medium “can

never operate in isolation” (65).

The Material and Economic Dimensions of Remediation

Mate

rial/E

cono

mic

Dim

ensio

ns

Each new medium has to find its economic place by replacing or supplementing what is already available . . . economic success, can come only by convincing consumers

that the new medium improves on the experience of the older ones” (68).

The Social Dimension

The

Socia

l Di

men

sion

“The appeal to authenticity of experience is what brings the logics of immediacy and hypermediacy together.

This appeal is socially constructed. . .[w]hat seems immediate to one group is highly mediated to another” (71).

Two

Sens

es o

f Im

med

iacy

Two

Sens

es o

f Im

med

iacy

• Epistemological

Two

Sens

es o

f Im

med

iacy

• Epistemological“. . .immediacy is transparency: the absence of mediation or representation” (70)

“. . .the notion that a medium could erase itself and leave the viewer in the presence of the objects represented” (70)

Two

Sens

es o

f Im

med

iacy

• Epistemological• Psychological

Two

Sens

es o

f Im

med

iacy

• Epistemological• Psychological“. . .names the viewer’s feeling that the medium has disappeared and the objects are present to him, a feeling that his experience is therefore authentic.”(70)

Two

Sens

es o

f Hy

perm

edia

cy

• Epistemological

Two

Sens

es o

f Hy

perm

edia

cy

• Epistemological“. . .hypermediacy is opacity—the fact that knowledge of the world comes to us through media. The viewer acknowledges that she is in the presence of a medium. . .”(71)

Two

Sens

es o

f Hy

perm

edia

cy

• Epistemological• Psychological

Two

Sens

es o

f Hy

perm

edia

cy

• Epistemological• Psychological“. . .the experience that she has in and of the presence of media; it is the insistence that the experience of the medium is itself an experience of the real”(71)

Facebook

Let’s go back to Facebook and

let’s figure out why it is so

successful. . .

Now,

you

r tur

n: You will be placed into a

group. Each group will be assigned to an aspiring social media site. Your job will be to complete these tasks:

Now,

you

r tur

n:

1) In a few paragraphs (or more), rhetorically analyze the website, using as many of our keywords as you can. What is this site explicitly persuading? What is it implicitly arguing? How does the site employ image and text? Is it effective?

Now,

you

r tur

n:

2) Next, examine the website and develop a genealogy of remediation. From this

list, determine whether each in this list would represent a relationship of "respect" or "rivalry" to your social media site. (A list is fine here)

Now,

you

r tur

n: 3)Determine what the

website's target audience(s) are. Be very specific here—consider age, race(s), sex, class etc. but also what sort of social life you can assume the website is targeting.

Now,

you

r tur

n: 3)Determine what the

website's target audience(s) are. Be very specific here—consider age, race(s), sex, class etc. but also what sort of social life you can assume the website is targeting.

Now,

you

r tur

n:

4)Finally, using this demographic

knowledge, your group will play the

role of marketers to do two things:

first, you must come up with a pitch

(including a slogan) that will

honestly persuade consumers (ie.

your audience) that "the new

medium improves on the experience

of older ones" (you'll have to tell us

what those older ones are) ; second,

you must develop a list of ways in

which to "spread the content over as

many markets as possible" in order

to popularize your product (68). How

could you remediate your product to

boost its popularity?

Now,

you

r tur

n:

1) In a few paragraphs (or more), rhetorically

analyze the website, using as many of our

keywords as you can. What is this site explicitly

persuading? What is it implicitly arguing? How

does the site employ image and text? Is it

effective?2) Next, examine the website and develop a

genealogy of remediation. From this list,

determine whether each in this list would

represent a relationship of "respect" or "rivalry"

to your social media site. (A list is fine here)

3)Determine what the website's target

audience(s) are. Be very specific here—consider

age, race(s), sex, class etc. but also what sort of

social life you can assume the website is

targeting.4)Finally, using this demographic knowledge,

your group will play the role of marketers to do

two things: first, you must come up with a pitch

(including a slogan) that will honestly persuade

consumers (ie. your audience) that "the new

medium improves on the experience of older

ones" (you'll have to tell us what those older

ones are) ; second, you must develop a list of

ways in which to "spread the content over as

many markets as possible" in order to popularize

your product (68). How could you remediate your

product to boost its popularity?

Wee

kly P

roje

ct

Thre

e Pr

evie

w

For this Weekly Project, each

group will share a rough, but

substantially complete, chapter from their Project

One Assignment during an in-

class Editing Workshop. In

order to prepare for this Workshop, your group needs

to focus on developing/selecting what

material you would like to

submit. Todays Project One

Group Meeting should focus

on this.

Networks of

RemediationJuly 11, 2011