Media Midterm 2

Remediation

Bolter & Grusin’s theory of the relations between media. New media always adapt older media forms.

Convergence Culture

The merging of various forms of media makes these relations complex and messy. Old media rarely disappear entirely. Old and new media overlap and coexist, often in rather complicated ways.

residual culture

The residual represents “areas of human experience, aspiration, and achievement which the dominant culture neglects, undervalues, opposes, represses, or even cannot recognize.”

Fast Culture

the latest, biggest thing (“the hits”); defined by a constant churn of new fads, most of which quickly fade out of memory

Slow Culture

things that last for long periods and rarely change (“the classics”) “evergreen” or legacy content that usually appeals to a niche/cult audience

Planned Obsolescence

A business strategy in which the obsolescence of a product is built
into it from its conception.
Consumers feel a need to purchase new products and services as
replacements for the “old” ones, even when the old ones are still
functioning.

E-Waste

• Planned obsolescence and the short life-cycles of consumer electronics creates extraordinary waste and environmental pollution

• Computers, smart phones, TVs, and other electronic devices require immense natural resources to produce (water, fuel, chemicals, precious metals). Constantly making new devices comes at a high
  environmental cost.

Cultural Obsolescence

• When a medium or format becomes obsolete, it is usually not the physical material object that is destroyed.

• is a key category for media theory because it points to the persistence of old media such as containers.

• Technologies are cultural forms: they transmit meaning through their content, yet the physical media itself is also encoded with meaning in their design and function

• Importantly, then, obsolescence raises moral and ethical questions about waste and environmental impact, storage and preservation, etc.

Value and Economies 

• The —— of anything can fluctuate across time and also across space (between communities, nations etc)

• There are also different types of ——-: economic, social, or cultural resource logical, ethical, moral 

There is also different system of appraising and allocating ——- or economies 

Glitch

• Any minor malfunction or snag that causes a system to stop working properly 

• It is a short lived fault that cannot be easily fixed, and usually corrects itself 

• are typically the fault of the equipment 

• The practice of using digital or analog euros aesthetic purposed

• Either by corrupting digital date or physically manipulating electronic devices 

• It is the aestheticization of error 

Interactivity

 is the DNA of social media - users make choices about how they engage and they are represented through it 

personalization

Platforms operations through ————. We are required to constantly share personal information. And platforms collect it without out knowledge 

postmodernism

Rooted in theories of ———, early definitions of cyberspace genuinely saw the internet as an alternate place… a place where we shed the materiality of our bodies and we can try on other identities, other ways of being 

Affinity spaces

 social setting where people come together because of a feeling of similarity or like mindedness

Visual turn

today we experience culture and interact with each other largely through images and visuals such as selfies and personal tiktok video

Speech events and the 6 functions of language 

• Emotive function (speaker attitude) 

• Conative function (commanding like and sub)

• Referential function (informative, established context) 

• Metalingual function ( self interpretation, what does …mean )

• Phatic function (contact “hello” hey guys)

• Poetic function (rhyming, repetition, alliteration)

Identity

Through profiles, posts, and interactions—often performed and curated.

Digital Visuality

How images/videos function and communicate meaning in digital spaces.

Selfies

A self-produced image used to communicate identity, emotion, or social connection.

Visibility

The extent to which people/content are seen online, often tied to power and algorithms.

What does John Durham Peters mean when he says “nothing ever really disappears”? How does this connect to residual media?

He means that old media never fully go away, they continue to exist, influence culture, and sometimes return in new forms. This connects to residual media because older technologies (like vinyl or film) still shape how we use and understand media today.

How does Peters distinguish between media being destroyed and media becoming obsolete?

Destroyed media is physically gone, while obsolete media still exists but is no longer widely used or dominant.

What moral, ethical, and environmental concerns are raised by media obsolescence?

It creates e-waste, contributes to environmental damage, exploits labor in production, and pressures consumers to constantly buy new devices.

How does David Sax define analog and digital, and why does adding a “retro” filter to a digital photo not count as analog?

Analog is physical and continuous (like film), while digital is data-based and binary. A retro filter is still digital because it only imitates the look of analog without actually being physical.

Why does Sax believe analog media can produce more meaningful experiences?

Because analog is slower, more intentional, and immersive, making people more engaged and less distracted.

What is slow culture, and how does a film like It's a Wonderful Life illustrate this concept?

Slow culture emphasizes taking time to appreciate experiences. The film illustrates this because it is repeatedly watched over time, gaining deeper meaning and emotional value.

What does Sterne mean by the “halfwayness” of digital media, and how does this contribute to constant upgrading and disposal?

“Halfwayness” means digital media is never finished—it can always be updated or improved, which encourages constant upgrading and leads to frequent disposal of devices.

What is glitch art, and how does datamoshing intentionally break media?

Glitch art uses digital errors as artistic expression. Datamoshing breaks video compression processes to create distorted, fragmented visuals

According to Mallika Roy, what does glitch art help us question about control and technological systems?

It challenges the idea that technology is perfect or fully controlled, showing that systems are unstable and unpredictable.

Why do Goriunova & Shulgin see glitch and dysfunction as central—not accidental—features of modern machines?

They argue glitches are built into how systems work, revealing the inner processes of technology rather than being random mistakes.

What does disembodiment mean in the context of early cyberspace?

It refers to the idea that people could separate their online identity from their physical body and exist purely as digital personas.

How has anonymity changed from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0?

Web 1.0 allowed more anonymity, while Web 2.0 encourages real identities through profiles and social media accounts.

How does invisibility and anonymity contribute to online disinhibition?

They reduce accountability, making people more likely to act aggressively, openly, or in ways they normally wouldn’t.

Why are anonymous platforms especially vulnerable to racism and hate speech?

Because users feel less responsible for their actions, leading to more extreme and harmful behavior.

How does trash talk in online gaming relate to disinhibition?

Players feel freer to say offensive or aggressive things due to anonymity and lack of consequences.

How does Black Mirror illustrate a cyberpessimistic media panic?

It portrays technology as harmful and shows exaggerated fears about its negative effects on society.