How does Richard Wise's account of 'digitisation' help in understanding the impact of multimedia computing on contemporary culture?

When writing about Richard Wise and reading his book about multimedia and digitisation, I understood more about the birth of where different forms of media came from. I understood the social side as well as the political.


"Although multimedia officially started in the 40’s explaining it and what it was actually about was tricky, establishing it’s purpose was ‘controversial’ he explains “Defining multimedia, however, is problematic. The word is controversial with competing definitions and diverse origins, and it was only in the 1980’s that the term came to refer to a marketing niche for specialised products of the computer industry” - Richard Wise, Janette Steamers, Multimedia Critical Introduction.


When writing my essay about  Richard Wise. Account of 'digitsation' help in understanding the impact of multimedia computing on contemporary culture.  I understood the difference between media tools then and their advantages compared to how we use them today. Richard Wise was able to explain the use of technology from years ago and made it possible to understand how it expanded.

With todays technology Richard Wise makes you think, what is there to come in the next 50 years with multimedia and digitisation? How will multimedia be used then? Will it be beneficial or a luxury? what new idea for the future can they come up with during then that they haven't created now? Or will it just be what we have today but improved more?

Richard Wise: Multimedia a critical introduction

What is the future of Digital Cultures?

I see technology expanding and growing within digital cultures. This is due to the fact of what the past has shown and the transformation of gadgets and other items we use today allow us to do.

Many years ago it was possible to watch TV’s, but in black white, years down the line not only were TV’s being able to be viewed in colour but they came in HD and this is today. In years to come just like in cinemas we’ll probably be able to watch shows in 3D within our own living room.

New ideas for technology are always being made whether big or small. From mobile phones with aerials to the upgraded 3210 Nokia which didn’t include one. Now the most common phone withing today’s society are the BlackBerry Smart phones and the iPhone, which includes everything you can imagine. You’re able to check you’re e-mail within this device browse the internet, download applications etc.

It seems as if there is not telling as to how far technology can go with such small but handy gadgets as a phones. What may the future hold for this? The power to switch lights off within a house if forgotten? Unlock cars? Pay bills? There are so many ideas that could be thought up, but me made tomorrow. Maybe mobile phones will respond to the owners voice, when asking for directions, or generally talk to you and tell you what’s on TV. As imaginative as it sounds, different forms of technology is rapidly growing especially in terms of new entertainment.

It seems as if technology has to keep up with us or the latest jobs us ourselves wouldlike fulfilled. No we wont be able to have a mobile phones or TV morph into a robot to do the house cleaning, but in a way there will be tasks we never thought could be carried out by a gadget but actually could.

Globalization

Technology has done a lot for us for us today and carries on doing so, were able to so many things from the smallest devices. The internet itself has several ways of being used who knew that one dial up cable would soon be gotten rid off so to create a wireless connection.

it seems that we rely on the latest technologies, this is because we know with newer and improved systems, certain things will be made a lot easier.

Globalization describes the process by which regional economies, societies, and cultures have become integrated through a global network of political ideas through communication, transportation, and trade. The term is most closely associated with the term economic globalization: the integration of national economies into the international economy through trade,foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, the spread of technology, and military presence.- wiki

if we didn’t have the technology that we do today certain parts of the world would not run as smoothly as it does today. with the advantage of technology information is delivered quickly. When Egypt had their Internet taken away you could only imagine how tasks were not being met, and probably how difficult life was without being able to communicate.

This shows the impact the internet has had on us and generally technology and its uses. Technology wont stop so will this create disadvantages for us? And even other developing countries where the internet is being used, does this create a social divide as we carry on being digital natives?

Privacy & Surveillance

Years ago we didn’t rely on technology to do anything for us, not only has that happened but technology is now a part of us. Day to day things entail of using a part of our identity to pay or use as proof. This isnt just a card with a name and number on it, but a card with an RFID.

‘‘Radio-frequency identification (RFID) is a technology with components that are not a replacement for the barcoding, but a complement for distant reading of codes. The technology is used for automatically identifying a package or an item. To do this, it relies on RFID tags. These are small transponders(combined radio receiver and transmitter) that will transmit identity information over a short distance, when they are asked to. The other piece to make use of RFID tags is an RFID tag reader.’

This seems scary as this little chip is put in things phones, theyre almost like trackers with ALL our personal information that only the government has access to.

Even if it doesn’t have an RFID general I.D’s carry information an example is a provisional license, This shows where you were born, where you live, all your names, date of birth etc.

With identity cards like this, it must be easy to fall into the hands of anyone else, this causes fraud and theft.

There was once upon a time where people used to use money to pay for things, strictly cash in hand. Then came the invention ‘Chip and Pin’. Where you simply use your card with whatever retail shop you’re in and pay as the money gets transacted out of your account. Not only is that possible but we can now use these same debit or credit cards to buy things, online, over the phone and face to face. Although this invention is handy, this also causes of a lot of fraud.




Are the other technologies out there which are still yet to be developed to decrease identity theft? Or will something new come along instead of cards which can easily fall out of our back pocket?

Open Source

The operating system in Brazil will soon change to linux due to the fact Microsoft is too expensive. Linux is another application but similar and does everything Microsoft can do.This is also due to the fact that the country itself is not rich. So has to make do with anything similar.

Open source software are programmes which are nearly the same as the original but cost less.
Anroid is seen as an open source because it is similar to the iPhone but doesn’t come with the applications.

Why are they cheaper if they do the same thing? How is it funded?

Other open sources include Open Office which is shares the exact same uses Microsoft word does. Once again its free, so some students use this because they can’t afford to buy the original copy.

Different open source programmes are being created but have to be done carefully so nothing is breached, unlike what happened two months ago for Ubertwitter. Ubertwitter were an OS for Twitter on smartphones but were banned after they broke the companys rules, there service was put on hold for over 48 hours and no one was able to tweet from their phones unless they downloaded the original Twitter app. ‘Twitter for Blackberry’. Eventually Ubertwitter were warned for their extension of characters and their over the limit of tweeting 140 charactars per tweet and had to Change their name as a brand to Ubersocial.

Game Studies & Game players

The Game theory and the magic circle.

The game theory are rules of how a game is played and how you switch into a zone of how you feel best to play or concentrate. This could be shutting out any other piece of technology out of the way. E.g. Phone, TV.

When people games an immediate magic circle is created this could either be with them self and the game. (Depending if its multiplayer or not). When playing games such as Mario Karts you have an opponent so you try to concentrate on how you’re going to race ahead so you can win the game.

‘A play community generally tends to become permanent even after the game is over. . the feelings of being “apart together” is an exceptional situation, of sharing something important, of mutually withdrawing, from the rest of the world and rejecting the usual norms, retain its magic beyond. the individual game’

How you gain your concentration to get the magic circle varies, this can be anything from locking yourself away. To playing music really loud, anything which you believe can’t distract you.
When whatever is being played or been given an interest to is done, you’re un-attached again, whilst the circle has lost its orbit.

Other games such football have a magic circle only they interact with other people on their team and they’re able to communicate with each other.

The main focus on this rule is that anything you feel can distract you from concentration of what is being played is removed from sight.

If you do fall into the magic cirlce and forget about things, why DO they need to be removed from where you are? Surely your parents screaming for your attention when in your own world can be seen as a distraction, but even then is that blocked out?

Game studies

Importance when playing games vary, not all games require the same attention or focus. I don’t play computer games what so ever but just the games that come on my Blackberry. Brick break breaker, it doesn’t require much skill that’s why it could be seen as a tactical immersion.

Either way there is still some sort of magic circle. But why? Why would a game which doesn’t require much attention still have a magic circle? People still find themselves shutting out the world when playing such basic games.

Nintendo DS games such as Cars are not as basic, but need more attention as more focus is needed. it includes a POV driver and slight concentration, as you drive past other cars avoiding getting into an accident with cars coming from the opposite direction. As you reach the next level the speed which you cant control becomes faster, more cars are appearing from other directions. Slowly but progressively this creates the magic circle as you get more into the game.

Digital literature

Reading a 500 page chapter book is very different to reading an online magazine or blog. Websites entail so much more. There’s more to read, glance at listen to work out. It seems as if the way we read things today are different due to the Internet and its new abilities of hypertext.



‘Nobody is going to sit down and read a book on a twitchy little screen. Ever’-Annie Proulx-Book on top. NYT.1994

Today not only are people reading books on their ‘twitchy little screens’ but applications have been created to download them Kindles, Ipads, Ebooks & Sony Readers have been invented for this purpose.

Although some of us do not read in a linear form anymore, we’re still able to make out the point of whats being read and the ideology.

‘Hypertext, which permits readers to choose their own paths through a set of possibilities dissolves the fundamental fixity that provides the foundation of our critical theory and practice.

it’s as if not only technology has made a new way for us to read things, but us as individuals are grasping new ways on how literature can be read. if literature is not read the simple way due to digital literature, what will happen with books in years to come? Will they too be written and read in a different way?

Tagging and Blogging.

Tagging and blogging.

Tagging is used for people to recognise whether it be a picture of someone being tagged on Facebook or general tags to find things on websites or blogs. Being able to tag is very useful this is because it allows things that are being searched for to run faster and easier.

When I’ve finished writing this post I will add tags such as ‘Digital cultures, tagging, blogging’ this is because like meta data, it allows users to add categories.

Another example is general articles that get read online. This could be a 500 word post talking about the latest summer trend. Keywords and tags given in this article could be anything from ‘fashion, skirts, denim etc’ just words which are to do with whats being read.

Search engines such as google, are really useful because as long as the main subject of what you’re searching for gets typed in the first couple results are the correct ones, becuase it recognises the keywords. This is the same with YouTube. YouTube has no generated itself like google to guess what you’re probably searching for. If I typed in ‘Beyonce. . ‘ The YouTube results would show.

‘Beyonce at the Grammy’s’
‘Beyonce Single Ladies’
‘Beyonce Single Ladies dance routine’

All searches would immediately come up in either alphabetical order or in search of what has been looked up the most.

Twitter is one of today’s most used social network, like google you can always find out what is going on within the world by #TrendingTopics. You simply type in the Twitter search bar and see many other results as to what was typed in.




If its simple to tag and archive words online, what will be next? Will it come to a point where we ourselves don’t need to tag basic keywords, so instead it’s automatically done for us?

Virtuality in today’s society.

‘The term ‘virtual’ encapsulates two distinctive concepts and largely negative idea of the fake, illusionary, non-existent, and the overly whelming positive, idea of the potential, which connotes, productivity, openess and diversity.’-Ryan avatars of story

The virtual of reality was once pictures we saw and knew existed. E.g. The globe, the beach everything most of society knew about. Now virtual reality has gone beyond that point due to the fact not everything can be proven especially when you’re on an online community, due to the virtual world in cyber space, things can be made made up.




“Virtual reality is like passing through the movie screen to enter the fictional world. of the ‘film’, and entering a virtual environment is like ‘being able to walk through ones TV or computer, through the vanishing point or vortex and into a three dimensional field of symbols”-Margaret Morse.

An example of this would be the Simms virtual reality game, this is because of the virtual world the Simms was built in. Though you’re able to make a character you can’t exactly go into the game itself and go through your computer or TV. Instead an immersion is created.

Ernest Adams calls it a ‘Narrative immersion’. This is because the player gets to ‘care about the character’.

Virtual reality shows a form of second life, but how can you have a second ‘life’ when it’s not actually reality? Will this be something else technology will create. One day if were bored with our current situation and reality, we can pack up and leave to our ‘second life’.

Intelligence & Robots

What is a robot?

‘A programmable, multifunctional manipulator designed to move material, parts, tools or specialised devices through various programmed motions for the performance of a variety tasks’

Robots and Cyborgs are quite similar but apart from both being artificial creations the main difference between them both are that robots though for themselevs.

In 1963 John McCarthy left MIT to start an Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Stanford University. In 1966 he went onto create ‘Shaky’. This was the first mobile robot to respond to someones action.

1966 was also the the year Eliza was created at MIT by Joseph Weizenbaum. Eliza was a robot which also responded but would use a statement giving to make up a question.

‘Hubert Drefus-1979 ’ Insists that any really intelligent machine (Which he thinks is impossible in principle) must demonstrate more than just a logical elements of human thinking. A truly Intelligent machine would have to be capable of actual conversations. This would be evidence idling, rather than working towards some particular intelligent function.’

This was what Eliza never had. It was also similar to MSN’s smarter child, a programme on instant messaging which was really a robot. Any given keyword or phrase typed to it, would immediately have a question answered back similar to Eliza.




Robots were designed to be able to think for themselves and have a more superior knowledge of not close to the human one. There are still limitations on what we can do as humans that they can’t.

We are able protect information online this is by simple things like CAPTCHA. This is a system with blurry numbers and letters only the humans can read and make out, which get typed out for security reasons to dodge fraud, theft, virus’ etc. This can be read by us but not computer programmes.

Different types of robots today are still being created, but they still have no emotions, due to the fact they’re not human but simply an artificial programme, but with technology expanding what could the late future hold? Will they be able to create a more improved version of Eliza, who does not only respond out of statements, but its able to hold a conversation?

Cyborgs and Artificial life.

A cyborg, also known as a cybernetic organism, is a being with both biological and artificial (e.g. electronic, mechanical or robotic) parts’-Wiki

Cyborgs are a part of technology as they are now being used in everyday life and have also become quite dependant.This shows the growth in technology and the changes it has had in society for the good.

‘The term cyborg (cybernetic organism) was put forward by Manfred E. Clynes and Nathan S. Kline in 1960 to describe a self regulating man machine system, supposed to be more flexible than the human organism thanks to the fusion of organic and mechanical parts’- Dani Cavallario Cyberpunk & Cyberculture. p45

When you usually think of a cyborg, what usually comes to minds are fictional characters we’ve all come across. E.g The Ironman, The Terminator or even any of the robots from Starwars. Today a cyborg can be anyone who has an artificial body part. Having a metal replacement arm or leg, to a pacemaker to help prompt the heart beat at a normal pace.





Are we ourselves turning into technology? If so are we tampering with nature? What will be the next step for us if most humans turn into cyborgs?

Community, participation and Web 2.0

The internet today has many uses, from making money to finding out ‘facts’ on Wikipedia, So other than connecting you can also argue that the internet has changed and it purposes. Adverts are being included on these social networks which reaps new benefits. More and More Wikipedia pages are being made for information people are unsure about, not all factual but a good percentage is. This is due to the fact some pages are able to be edited, whereas not all wiki pages are.

Though there are different way of connecting now the smallest things that unnoticeable are still connecting and communicating. This can be from comments on a mutual friends photo via Facebook, or a Retwee on Twitter adding a comment of an opinion or thought.


Here is more of a definition of the term of 'Web 2.0'

Community and Web 2.0

Society today use the internet for various things, this can be research or generally sheer entertainment. Entertainment sites commonly come from social sites such as Facebook, MySpace or Twitter or other sites like Twitter where you write what you’re doing at that particular time, or how you’re feeling. Other forms of community and its participation include writing blogs and checking out wikipedia.


There are arguments that there are no differences between the use of the internet today and what the use of the internet was supposed to be many years ago when it came out. Its main job was to ‘connecting people’-Tim Bernes –Lees


Tim O’Reilly coined the phrase in 2003 about the term web 2.0 and also argues that there is a big difference about the internet back then and the use of the internet today.

Identities online

With many social networks available to use from the internet like MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter etc. Many identities can be constructed this is due to the photos already being online and being able to get a hold of easily, fake profiles can be made which in some way can be looked on as identity theft, but online. Twitter today has made it possible for celebrities to have verified accounts with a blue tick as a symbol to show the account is real.







Identities on other social network are easily gained as well, an example being Facebook. Facebook have many applications which include games and general questions one has to answer to achieve ‘points’. All these features show what a person is really like and what they like even if a profile picture was not available. It makes you think does this make a Facebook page private even if were no on each others friends list. Especially if you’re still sharing things about yourself online. This also includes your school, your date of birth, your likes and your dislikes, where you are and what you’re thinking.

Learning more about Digital cultures 2

What is digital culture?


Further Understanding-


Years ago, information which is now much easier to get hold of was not 10 years ago. This is due to the fact technology has taken over, mobile phones have been created, computers that are able to store data have been made, the internet has been created. Advanced technology has been made and is still developing. This day and age is of digitalisation is something which has continued to be created and hasn’t stopped this is because new ideas are being made. When computers were first invented dial up connections were the original way of accessing the internet. Now in most houses you’re able to have up to several laptops and PC’s sharing the same internet with a wireless connection- This is an example of technology changing.

Other forms of digital culture include social media. Social media is a social communication space which is web based, this allows you to send messages online, share photos, talk and video chat, web blogging, podcasts, internet forums.

Kaplan and Haenlein define social media as ‘a group of internet based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of web 2.0, and allow the creation and exchange of user generated content’.


Both Kaplan and Haenklein came to a conclusion that were six major social media types which included content communities, social networking sites, virtual games worlds, blogs, micro blogging and virtue communities.


Digital culture has become so huge we are now able to be a part of it, this is called new media blogging online is an example, we are now able to make our own websites feeding others information by just writing, sharing other useful links, adding videos and picture created by us-This is a form of digital, whereas objects like books or magazines would be seen as analogue.

Learning more about Digital cultures 1.

What is Digital culture?

More understanding-

Culture as one is a way of life and has various ways of how different people represent their culture as. Popular culture is culture that is highly favoured and liked by people.

All sorts of media culture include anything from a TV, to a radio or even a newspaper. These things are what people are most likely to watch listen or read in a day.

New media has played a role in society due to the fact the biggest impact made within digital cultures is the way the internet is used and how often it’s being used. Other adoptions we have made within the 21^st century is the technology of mobile phones and the increase of changes being made daily as an upgrade from a previous make of a mobile phone.

New and old interfaces

Interfaces are generally the act between two different systems acting as one to communicate and send a message, in computer technology there are many sort of interfaces.


Software interface is the code the application reads to communicate with each other.
I understand that user interface includes anything from a key board or a mouse, this allows the user to communicate with the actual system itself.


Old interfaces are no longer recognised so instead new interfaces are. Like always technology changes and new things are made every day to help make communicating with anyone or anything easier.


Communicating with interfaces today is more easier than before but stil hold similarities in the job that is carried out. An example would be typing on a keyboard ‘xyz’ for it only to appear on Microsoft Word if the application or anything similar is open, it sends across a message and takes out a task.

Media and its changes

Media has changed throughout the years and everyday there is a rapid conversion from the way media is being used, from magazines being read to going online to find out who’s wearing what.

The internet as a whole has created a new impact on what ‘new media’ is it’s a form of transferring things from what was once written to being published online. Other sort of new media’s include digitisation, convergence, inactivity, and remediation.

All the new media used today are convergence of former technology previously used but upgraded.

Meaning of news?

News is a way of reporting information by a primary resource; this can be good or bad and include entertainment news, politics or just random general interest of others.

And advantage of the news is that it travels in many ways, newspapers, radio, social networks, online blogs/websites and one of the most popular the our front room TV.

‘Perhaps the most valuable news we can receive is warning of a clear and present danger’-Mitchell Stephens

Other ways of reporting news is done orally (word of mouth). Before new technology inventions were created this was the only way to report news. Now as a more advanced century we have sources like 24 hour news on the BBC. Disadvantages with 24 hour news is that false information can be given due to not waiting for official results, instead of reporting what isn’t certain and misleading the public. Misleading information that gets published will need a retraction in the next issue.

Throughout the years gathering news and reporting it has changed, technology is more advanced there are more than a couple of ways to reach you. The difference today is the fact that once upon a time we as an audience used to try and find the news. Now the news try and find us.