COM257: Media History and Theory

Throughout ‘Mobile telephone history’, Tom Farley gives us the history of mobile telephones and how they have evolved into one of the most important communication tools of our lives. Just as the internet began, the history of mobile phones began in the World War II era where the United States military utilized it as specially created two-way radios. After the war, civilian communication could finally become a fundamental focus. Considering that The United States was still physically intact unlike some countries, there had been great demand, plenty of research facilities and manufacturing capability to expand the mobile phone.  In 1946, AT&T produced the first mobile radio service called MTS (Mobile Telephone Service). A couple more channels such as the Bell System and other Radio Common Carriers emerged three years from the FCC that only began the trials for the new communication systems.  It wasn’t until 1977 that AT&T and Bell Labs immerged with a new cellular system. The competition between the United States, Sweden and Japan was intense to try to create the first cell phone.  The United States government regulation caused the slow progression of cell phones because of the fear of monopolies and high monthly rates. In 1979, Japan launched the first commercial cellular service in the world. Farley elaborates on the development of the cell phone technologies as the time continued the new systems were established and widely used.  In the 1980’s satellites were utilized to transmit signals from one phone to another.  The competition stimulated the market and more products and services were created.

In this day and age, cell phones have become essentially an extension of our hands as we wake up to the alarm and use the calculator to figure out tips at meals and we text continuously throughout the day and simply calling people on cell phones is just a minor feature. Our society has become so reliant on the use of cell phones that we have a panic attack any time we accidently leave it at home. The first ideas of cell phones were established by putting the pay phones on trains, this allowed the public to physically see the possibility of “mobile technology”. These days the possibilities of mobility are becoming endless, now you can send pictures through phones, access the internet or simply call a friend from essentially anywhere around the world.  Cell phones have evolved the way we connect with one another as our society’s needs change as we can see it has already even within its short timeline.

-Julie Whelan

      In Tom O’Reilly’s article ‘What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation’, he clearly defines what Web 2.0 is and the tremendous impact it had on the advancement of technology and software in our generation. Just like the beginning of any technological revolution, there were many doubts about the possible prosperity of the new coming media of the web.  There was a turning point in 2001, as the dot-com collapsed in which the Web 2.0 was introduced. O’Reilly makes a point to clarify that Web 2.0 differs from Web 1.0 in everything from the user experience and the role of the individual accessing it to the specialized features. Web 2.0 depends on the users, the more people who access it, better it gets as it consumes and mixes information making it a continually-updated service. O’Reilly concludes that there are millions of sites all on the internet attempting to explain Web 2.0 with a simple concrete definition with examples such as blogging and Napster but these do not completely explain what Web 2.0 really is. In order to understand Web 2.0, it cannot be thought of as a simple definition but rather as a network of sites that have a central core. O’Reilly mentions that there are seven main principles that are linked with Web 2.0 that include: services rather than packaged software, control over ever-changing-data sources, trusting users as co-developers, harnessing collective intelligence, leveraging through customer self service, software above the level of a single device, lightweight user interfaces/ development models and business models. The principles mentioned make what Web 2.0 is and how it has been expanded throughout the years.  Due to this web platform idea, Google was able to prosper without being sold as an application because it is user-dependent where there is no subscription and no update fees.  Through database management, copyrighting, and user availability, Google became a success. The idea of the “long tail” was established where the smaller sites could contribute more through ad-placements on the more accessed sites allowing power to be distributed. O’Reilly argues how the users became the databases and the web took the role as a cooperate exchange. This led to trusting users as co-developers in the ever-changing internet that we know today.

      Because of the development of Web 2.0, we now are able to chat with friends on facebook, ‘tag’ friends in photos on flickr, blog on websites and add new applications at ease. This opened a door for complete web development and design where the power is given back to the people. Web 2.0 helped smooth the process of communication by altering our perception of space and place. I never really thought about how users could possibly be databases as we store our information in various websites, purchasing some items and being offered more based on our interests. As we purchase music on ITunes, more music is then advertised based on certain interests that are assumed based on other costumers and popularity.  The changes that have been made to the internet and how our society utilizes and views the internet are ridiculous. More and more websites and applications are becoming user-friendly and we can now customize homepages, news websites, YouTube, etc. The ever-changing aspect of the internet signifies the fact that it is not going anywhere but rather just adapting to be whatever society wants or needs it to be. Users of the internet will continue to redefine what it actually is in the future.

-Julie Whelan

In Janet Abbate’s article “Popularizing the Internet” she elaborates on the impact of the emergence of the Internet in the 1990s and how it served as a communication medium. Initially, the internet only had a limited amount of networks and was utilized primarily by the military for defense operations. From the 1980s to the 1990s the popularity of the internet grew exponentially as there were more networks, computers and users controlling and accessing it. The power was given back to the civilians and made more accessible to the public. People could finally see the potential that the internet had for social interaction, entertainment, self-expression and information sharing. The author points out that there is no single person or organization who is accredited for the tremendous increase in the internet’s popularity because the control seemed to be fragmented among miscellaneous groups.  Abbate made the point that the Internet’s communication capability was made possible through the application of the World Wide Web. Due to the internet constantly changing it was difficult to see the long term effect that it might have on society. Abbate recognizes the computer scientists as the catalysts for the expansion of public access to the Internet. The internet was first run through ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) where only the only people able to access it were the computer science departments at schools who had ARPA contracts. This gave a huge shortcoming to the schools that did not have ARPA contracts so several suggestions were formed and ideas were made. Since there needed to be changes, a system was made that linked sites by connecting them through a dial-up telephone connection called PhoneNet, Telenet, and ARPANET. This expanded the availability of access to the internet in the late 1970s. In the 1990s, Tim Berners-Lee established the concept of the World Wide Web which made ARPANET obsolete. This was the beginning of what we know the internet as today.

              It is utterly apparent that the development of the internet has had a tremendous impact on our society and each year we form the internet to be more useful. Old media has been transformed to be accessed through the internet (the new media) including everything from radio, television and news broadcasts. In a sense, the internet has changed communication within our society. Today have the ability to use the internet as a form of self-expression through Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, blogs and Twitter, we are able to shop for everything from clothes to pizza, and we can use it to access our favorite television shows. The opportunities seem endless and more and more networks are formed everyday that make the internet more convenient in our lives. On a daily basis we utilize internet as a giant database full of the information without even realizing it. The speed and accessibility of the information has completely altered our sense of space and place. Waiting moments to receive millions results when you type something into Google can seem like too long when in all actuality, it is incredible how readily this information can be accessed. Due to the expansion of the internet, communication can be formed without the restrictions of time and space.

-Julie Whelan

In this week’s reading “Nonlinearity and Literary Theory” by Epsen J. Aarseth, begins by discussing literary theory and the differences between reading nonlinear and linear texts. Aarseth’s definition of the theory is that its properties of geometric figures remain unchanged even when under distortion, so long as no surfaces are torn, and can also be described as the study of the ways in which the various sections of a text are connected, disregarding the physical properties of the channel by means of which text is transmitted. Computer advancements have enabled texts to be available online and read on a computer screen.  Aarseth describes how the different mediums people utilize to access the same information might affect the way people receive and comprehend it. In order for text to be expressed in topological terms, it must consist of smaller units. The function of each unit within the text is crucial in the comprehending the concept of nonlinearity which includes: graphemes (letters), lexemes (words), and lastly syntagms (sentences and phrases). These elements within a text are essential to defining non-linear texts but also the positions of the elements are especially vital. There are several components that are necessary for a text to be deemed nonlinear. These functions include: Topology (difference between linear and nonlinear), Dynamics (difference between static and dynamic text), Determinability (deals with the stability of the traversal function) and Transiency (passing time causes scriptons to appear),  Manueverability (the accessibility of the information), and User- Fuctionality (the ability of the user to change the ending).  

Addressing the concept of user-functionality, Aarseth mentions that the use of nonlinear text can in fact be described in relation of four active feedback functions. These feedback functions include: explorative (where the user decides the path), role-playing where the user accepts the character’s role as their own, configurative where textons are chosen by the user, and lastly the poetic function where the user’s actions are motivated by artistic vision or design. The author mentions how Eliza was first developed by Joseph Weizenbaum in 1966 as the first virtual psychologist and would give advice based recognizing key words that the user might employ. In the next ten years, Adventure was created as the first virtual text adventure game where the user could type in commands such as “open door” or “go north”.  Aarseth compares the game Adventure to a book on the idea that the reader or user has to use his imagination and knowledge to appreciate and complete the game.

This article connects with our class because of our discussions on reading texts on paper and on the computer which utilizes different interfaces to access the same information. Some people argue that reading physical books (old media) will become obsolete as e-books (new media) become more popular and accessible. Did these same people believe that listening to books on tape would cause the disappearance of the physical books? We can see now that people are accessing the same information in many different ways but the initial prototype is not extinct.  New media is becoming more personalized because one can access information in whichever way they would like such as: books on tape, e-books, and the original text. While reading this week’s text, I had a greater understanding for the concept of nonlinearity because when ‘Afternoon, A Story’ was written in 1987 was the first hypertext book and was the first time that it was shown that a book could be read in a nonlinear fashion. This has led to more and more expansions on the idea and one of my favorite books.  The book I am referring to is ‘Pretty Little Mistakes’ which was written in 2007 and has 150 alternate endings but each story begins with  the same introduction where a student is graduating high school and every choice made after that changes the storyline.

-Julie Whelan

                   In the second half of this week’s reading, “A Social History of the Media” by Briggs and Burke, addresses the fact that the television wasn’t an instant sensation and was not initially accepted as a new medium of communication due to its arrival during the depression.  After the war ended the television was seen as an “experiment” rather than a new medium of communication and was put on display in the New York World’s Fair. After World War II, there was little excitement about the television because  there wouldn’t be any programming because no one needed coverage of the war, no war-related programs  and  little money available for funding so “although there was a minority of dedicated enthusiasts, the economic situation everywhere was unfavorable to the rapid development” (Briggs & Burke p. 188). When the television was introduced there was a common misconception that only the upper class could enjoy it yet that idea was soon eradicated. Between the years of 1947 and 1952 the production of television grew exponentially from 178,000 to approximately 15 million. This meant less people were going to the theater and more were able to watch television programs and movies in the comfort of their homes. Although the television had a slightly slower progression due to the economy, it ended up creating jobs all over the nation. The founding radio broadcasters in the United States (NBC and CBS) and in Britain (BBC) also were the first to broadcast television programs.  The popularity of television grew more rapidly as a form of entertainment rather than the influence that the radio had with war broadcasting. Dramas, Soaps and games shows such as, the Ed Sullivan show, quickly became a fascination of the public. The monopolies that these founding broadcasters had created were then broken so that now it was easier for new programming to come about. In conclusion, the article addresses the cultural impacts of the television as broadcasting Armstrong landing on the moon.  This article articulated the many impacts that the television all around the world.

                 Before this reading, I really thought about how the television wouldn’t have been immediately accepted as a revolutionary new medium of communication. This reminded me that the acceptance of new technology is contingent upon the time it is introduced into society and what is going on in the world.  As we talked about in class, when new technology is introduced, it is often doubted and even feared because we all tend to fear the unknown. Once the society can appreciate the benefits they can receive from the technology only then can it be embraced and appreciated. This invention gave hope back into the common people, it was said that the television was the poor man’s greatest luxury. Information and entertainment was brought into millions of homes while creating millions of jobs and boosting the economy.

-Julie Whelan

                This week’s text from "Information, Education, Entertainment” by Briggs & Burke, highlights the introduction of radio and how it impacted society and later paved the way for television. Early institutions such as NBC and CBS for the United States and BBC in Britain can be accredited for leading the way for broadcasting and then television as well.  Although the impact of the radio was great, it had different influences all around the world. During World War II, most European Broadcasting stations were taken over by the Nazis and utilized as a weapon by stripping away the powers of the press. In The United States the radio was used primarily for entertainment purposes until President Roosevelt used the radio to his advantage and addressed the nation in what came to be known as the “fireside chats”, where his aim was to make the listeners feel as if he was in their house. Roosevelt placed his trust in what he considered to be democratic communication and he addressed the public multiple times. This differed greatly from how broadcasting in Britain occurred due to the tight government regulation and restrictions of the radio. Radio broadcasting was the first and initial form of transmitting both information and entertainment to a large amount of people which paved the way for the new mediums to be created.

                I found this particular article to be intriguing because I never acknowledged how lucky the United States was to have the freedom of speech especially during such a time of deception about the horrible things that were occurring around the world. It is interesting that today we become aggravated when a Presidential speech interrupts our favorite show yet during this time people were dying to have some kind of connection to information and felt privileged to be able to listen. Another reason I found this article appealing was because the United States paid for the broadcasting through advertising while Britain paid for radio through license fees. I am considering working for an advertising firm after my graduation and it is interesting to see how it was first utilized in the U.S. because the radio could connect to such a vast audience of people. As we discuss in class, sometimes it is hard to draw the line between old and new media. The radio which was new media during the World War II era is still continuing to evolve and new forms such as the satellite radio come about. Initially, it was difficult for the public to understand why one should have to pay for something they already have but through advancements in MP3 players showing what artist was playing and being able to pick the music you listen to on a broader scope, satellite radio became more accepted.

-Julie Whelan

     Throughout the article “Technology and Ideology: The Case of the Telegraph” James Carey articulates on how the invention of the telegraph paved the way for the advancement of many types of technology and how not enough credit is given to that particular invention. Carey writes about how the telegraph is actually the least studied yet probably one of the most intriguing inventions. By inventing the telegraph the barrier put on physical distance and communication was broken and a bridge was made. Using the telegraph people could communicate with each other from coast to coast without moving more than a couple inches. In the article, Carey explains that there essentially three relationships. The first of the three being: the relationship between the telegraph and monopoly capitalism which refers to the society accepting the new media through economics and politics and the new structures and advancements that the telegraph required. The second relationship that Carey mentioned was between the telegraph and ideology through popular imagery which refers to the spread of ideologies. The third and last relationship mentioned would be the telegraph and electricity and how the power was not visible to the human eye. When the telegraph was invented, it was new media that utilized concepts that people were not at all familiar with. Carey talks about how the most critical and obvious significance of the telegraph was that “It permitted for the first time the effective separation of communication from transportation.  This fact was immediately recognized, but its significance has been rarely investigated" (Carey p. 203). Carey makes in the article is the influence that the telegraph had on journalism and how reports could be made more objectively and quickly. The language of journalism became standardized and got rid of storytelling as a form of spreading news. The final point that James Carey makes in the article is about how the telegraph assisted the railroads and how information was sent about delays and dangers that the train might come across.

    I agree with James Carey with the fact that the telegraph never has gotten the amount of credit that it deserved. I remember back in high school when my teacher would question us on what inventions really revolutionized society and I always thought of the telephone completely dismissing where that was derived from. This particular article reminds me of the class discussions we have about spatial barriers and distance and the speed of the message being sent and received. Another concept mention in class that came to my mind while reading this passage was how “new media” evolves from “old media” and without it there wouldn’t be a progression so it is hard to define which is which. The first invention established from the same principles was in fact the telephone that used wires to send messages which evolved into cell phones which use towers to enable them to be wireless. The fact that the telegraph was the first invention to truly make proximity of people unnecessary is completely incredible and how all of the technology has branched off from such a simple concept is unbelievable.

-Julie Whelan

In this week’s reading, “Printing and the rupture of classification”, Hobart & Schiffman focus on a time when people were only familiar with reading written manuscripts and how the printed word has such an incredible impact on society as we know it. The article begins with a reference to a well-known French writer during the Renaissance named Michel de Montaigne who, after retirement, spent a majority of his time studying philosophy and the ultimate causes and the principles of knowledge.  The collection of literature of over a thousand volumes in which he studied was said to be worth as much as a “king’s ransom” but with the invention of printing a nobleman was able to acquire such a collection.  The author articulates on through the availability of duplicating and distributing the printed word led to an amazing advancement in intelligence because the common man was able to utilize philosophy and logic to prove truths.  Having access to the multitude of books, Montaigne collected all kinds of information in such diverse areas as anatomy, climatology, astrology and zoology. With the creation of the printing press, mass quantities of books were produced and information could easily be shared because it was far less expensive and rare to obtain hand copied manuscripts. Throughout Montaigne’s essays he acknowledges that acquiring information was easier yet the mastery of it was far more difficult because of the actual extent of the varied information that was gathered. Once printing began and books were being mass produced, different aspects of printing had to be established such as “codex”, “gloss” and “summae”. The codex was the new format for the manuscripts and allowed someone to find information easier because one could simply flip to the correct page as opposed to mindlessly searching the entire scroll. Gloss was produced to help individuals put their thoughts into the text and enabled people to interpret the readings and express one’s ideas.  And lastly, the summae, or summary, was made to introduce the reader to the information that was presented to aid in understanding complex ideas. All of the advancements of the printed word led to the intellectual progression of the common people.

This reading gave me incredible depth on the importance of the printing press and how it shaped society and enabled the common man to easily acquire knowledge which would have otherwise been unheard of. This article takes us back to when the printing press was new media and how this gave people all over the world an opportunity to obtain and spread knowledge to one another. I think we can easily correlate the accessibility of information by utilizing the printing press and the growing accessibility of the internet. Now people can access internet through their phones or laptops in public places and information can be spread quickly and more efficiently. To gain general information on a topic, one could pull up Wikipedia.org or search Google and there would be a massive amount of definitions and information about the background of the subject.  Complex information is made more and more accessible to the public through uses of new media. This reading especially relates to the topic that frequently comes up in class about how new media is established from old media. Papyrus scrolls advanced to the codex books which now can even be placed online which makes the evolution of media apparent.

-Julie Whelan

         Hayles defines Virtuality as the cultural perception that material objects are interpenetrated by information patterns (p. 69). The two main concepts that contribute to the virtuality are information and materiality. The construction of the concept was based from molecular biology and points out how the body can express information that was encoded in the genes of an individual. This is an idea that grew in the years following World War II because of the codes and signals being made to send secret messages. By pointing out the difference between identifying the human with a soul and a human with information, Hayles proceeds to explain that humans are more of an informational pattern rather than bodily presences.  There are many issues concerning viruality today and Hayles highlights how it relates to postmodernism. She goes more in depth about the concept of the informational and material form of information. This can be seen in computers and technology today because a lot of books are being put online as opposed to being purchased in a physical form.

       I took interest in how Hayles went in detail about the actual connection between virtuality and our unique molecular biology. This article was the most interesting one that I have read yet for Com 257, it explains a lot about the world using concepts I never really thought of before.  Humans are essentially the construction of materials yet also the formation of our brains and the information in it both which are derived from our DNA. Also, I was intrigued by the discussion on virtual books because it relates back to Manovich’s chapter on Interface—although it’s the same information, it is being accessed very differently because the materiality of it has been altered.

-Julie Whelan

       In the article “The poetics of Augmented Space”, Manovich introduces the concepts of augmentations and monitoring and explains how people experience spatial forms when accessing the wireless multimedia. After being familiar with the term augmented reality, Manovich defines augmented space by “the physical space overlaid with dynamically changing information” (Manovich p. 219).  These public areas where one can access information wirelessly include department stores and trade show halls. Because you can now access the internet from a cellular phone or a palm pilot, Manovich argues that cyberspace has now penetrated the physical space. Cell space is the unseen stored information that is in many public places this was established when cellular phones and PDAs were invented so they could receive service or wireless connection could be established. Manovich states that there are three applications that can transform a physical space to a dataspace that include: computer and video displays of all sizes, cellspace technologies that deliver messages to a person’s physical space and lastly  videocameras that can record what we do within physical space and save it into a computer.

       Tomorrow we are asked to bring in a computer capable of having wireless computer access to show an example of how we use cell space every day. Without wireless connection, classrooms would not be as environmentally friendly and avoid using paper.  As we’ve discussed in class, these “invisible” technologies are utilized on a daily basis to form databases in which we can recall information from. All together this article made me think about the future of advancing use of dataspace in architecture and how it will affect our lives.

-Julie Whelan

Throughout the chapter “Technologies”, Kellerman introduces the concept of space-transcending technologies and looks at the technologies of personal mobility from both spatial and social perspectives. The relationship between space-transcending technologies and socio-spatial aspects is constantly evolving. There are two types of personal mobility both of which have helped people reach one another at a faster pace, these include: transportational technologies and communication technologies. Kellerman compares and contrasts the relationships between cars and telephones, internet and cars and wireless communication and mobility media and discusses how they are all intertwined. Through standardization and adoption into our daily life all of these technologies help to move ideas and people faster and more efficiently. The mass production and adoption of all the technology into the public established how we communicate and how quickly we are able to send and receive messages or travel to another place.

 

After reading Kellerman’s thoughts and ideas about mobility, I can appreciate it in a whole new way. I never really realize the constant evolution of how we live life. The only thing that isn’t changing is the fact that America wants everything faster, instant gratification and that is now shaping how people live. More activities and goals can be achieved in one day than ever before because virtual spatial mobility of humans is not restrained by their physical spatial mobility. These concepts can relate back to Manovich in the Interface chapter because we use so many interfaces in a day (computer screens, blackberry screens, ipod screens, etc.) that all in turn make our lives easier and make common tasks happen easier and more efficiently. In class we discussed why certain technologies took longer to become established and adopted into different cultures and how much easier it was to introduce a newer version of a technology rather than a whole new concept especially if a whole new infrastructure had to be made. Not only did the mass production of the new technologies depend on how convenient it was but also a huge factor includes the public actually realizing they need the technology. That is why the mobile telephone did not take long to mass produce because a telephone was already established but it took almost twenty years for half of the United States population to get them because no one initially saw the need for the mobile phone.  

-Julie Whelan

In Lev Manovich’s article “What is New Media” he begins the text with a rhetorical question which to me symbolizes that the definition is somewhat unclear and maybe more complicated than it seems.  Manovich begins elucidating on how most people associate new media simply with the internet, websites, computer multimedia…etc. yet proves that it is, in fact, so much more than that. To better explain what new media consists of, he came up with five, separate, yet interconnected principles to define new media in new terms—these criteria include: numerical representation, modularity, automation, variability, and transcoding. Using algorithmic manipulation—new media can be explained purely from mathematical equations making it different but still connected with old media.  New media is programmed in such a way that it consists of elements that can be modified without fear of everything falling apart.  After providing a little background history, dispelling myths, and listing necessary criteria, Manovich redefines new media.

I have come to the conclusion that new media is a broad perspective of both tangible and intangible varieties of communication evolving from older forms of media. This is the ever-changing commuting and advances made available through new ideas and technology. Every day, new ways of accessing and storing information are formed that are continually becoming more personalized and appealing to each individual, as opposed to the masses.  This article made me think a little deeper into how everything is connected from the first printing press to youtube. Now, the power is given back to the people to express themselves freely without a lot of regulation. New media is changing constantly, too quickly for me to keep up with yet it is interesting to see how it evolves.

-Julie Whelan

 

In the reading “The Interface”, Manovich begins explaining about how Ridley Scott was the director of Blade Runner (1984) and two years later, was hired to direct the Apple Computer’s new Macintosh.  Both of which had depictions of the future that were slightly contrasting.  Macintosh revolutionized Graphical User Interface (GUI) and showed that technology can be used in a more conceptual way. Twenty years later, the rules that were defined in these two works still control contemporary culture.  Both Blade Runner and the advertisement depict the idea of futurism and decay and computer technology and fetishism and also, retro-styling and urbanism. In the advertisement, a woman rises against the overwhelming technology and shows that decay is unacceptable. Amazing advances have been made since the 1984 Macintosh screen to the 2009 small LCD screens on today’s Palm Pilots, cellular telephones and car navigation systems. Human-Computer Interface was first used primarily in the work place and now it has been popularized and individualized into a communication device where information can be stored, dispersed and accessed at a later time. Cultural interfaces have been made since the 1990’s and include the interfaces used by the designers of everything from websites to computer games and other new media cultural items.

While reading “The Interface” online, I was listening to music on a site called Pandora, Searching the premise of Blade Runner on Wikipedia, watching the first commercial for Macintosh on youtube, and I even saw a parody of the advertisement that a show ‘Futurama’ did.  I had four different tabs up all of which I relied on to find out the background of the text. The distinct evolution of cultural interfaces is absolutely incredible. When the Macintosh was introduced to the world and was primarily used for work related reasons yet now people cannot go about their daily activities without utilizing the cultural interfaces. Even today while I finished my homework, I realized that without the use of a computer, I would not have been able to really do research about the topic in which I was reading and there is no room for complication when you are relying on technology.

-Julie Whelan

     Manovich begins the chapter, “The forms: The Database”, by taking us back to 1999 and describing in detail his trip to Razorfish Studios which, at the time, was one of the top ten interactional agencies and a lead designer in computer screens and networks. He related this to database because the motives of the company were to eventually provide total user experience by designing buttons for the screen in hopes that the costumer does not have to look elsewhere to find them. The purpose of the database is similar because it is a collection of data, organized so the computer can access the information with ease. Manovich goes on to explain that the qualities of the database are anything but simple because it allows people to access, sort, and re-organize millions of records in a matter of minutes. The different types of assorted databases are important and how the data is then accumulated and stored for later use. The traditional methods to organize data and for the human experiences of the world are two forms that can still are distinguished in many areas of new media. These forms of collection of documents and navigable space include the database and a virtual interactive 3D space. The first form is used to store many kinds of data, anything from financial records to movie clips where as the second is employed in today’s computer games and roller coasters. Because not all new media is explicitly a database, Manovich introduces the concepts of “Data and Algorithm” and narratives, which are used in countless video games to “kill enemies” and move on to upper levels.  In conclusion, Manovich argues that there is a difference between the connection between databases and storage media and they both have their distinct purposes.

    Before reading this passage, I had no idea that I utilize both databases and data and algorithms in my everyday life. Before my computer had crashed, I had to save all of my pictures and music onto DVDs (CD-ROMs with more digital storage capabilities).  Now once my computer comes back from being fixed by the HP computer technicians I can use the digital storage media to load my pictures and music back onto my computer. Also, to bond with my young brother, I used to play ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and go on missions from a downtown mob to get to the next level. Without the uses of databases, algorithms and interactive 3D space these everyday activities could not occur.

-Julie Whelan