October 21, 2012

Everything is the medium


I found that the reading from Bolter and Grusin "Ubiquitous Computing" was out of the ordinary compared to other text that we have read so far. Even though the reality concepts were somewhat complex I was able to follow along with the rest of the passage. The concepts of remediation regarding computer games, digital photography, photorealistic graphics, digital art, film, and virtual reality were complicated but as Bolter and Grusin gave examples I started to somewhat understand the point they were trying to get across. The way we use media today has conquered our western views and demands of current media. The whole idea that technology has become so intricate in our lives that it transforms into normalcy, this is what Bolter and Grusin call immediacy. Immediacy is the want to forget the media’s medium. A person becomes entirely immersed in their technology and media that they forget the mode. As if virtual reality twisted inside out. If virtual reality brings the user into a virtual world, then what Bolter and Grusin are trying to explain is that “Ubiquitous Computing” brings technology to live in the world with the populace. Everything is the medium because a computer device runs so much of today’s world.

I never gave much thought to the idea that within our modern lives there is so much technology that we deal with on a day-to-day basis. I have become so use to all this technology that it practically becomes invisible to me and just becomes an extension of my life. I never have truly stopped and wondered why I use the technological tools I do. Who made it possible for me to call my father at the end of that day and ask him how he’s doing? Or how is it possible for me to watch a full motion picture strictly through my phone? It amazes me but at the same time puts myself in a state of shock to think of how far our culture has grown and become adapted to technology. It’s literally everywhere, from the moment we wake up to the moment we set our alarms at night to wake up in the morning. People are constantly checking their phones and computers, emails, text messages, face book’s.

This is my own interpretation of the text, and it makes me wonder where technology and mediation can go from here.

1 comment:

Shanae Simon said...

I think this idea of "everything being a medium" is two fold. One being that in today's society everything is literally made from a computer and the other being when we enter the "virtual world." This "ubiquitous computing is an attempt to reform reality by making technological objects conform to humans needs and wishes (218)." Since this is the goal then everything from watches to refrigerators is literally a computer and that would make everything a medium because almost everything today is being made with a computer inside of it. When an individual enters the virtual world their perceptions change to where everything in it is now sending a message and the message comes from all the mediums in this world.

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