Creeber: Digital Cultures

The words 'complex' and 'diverse' are used within the first two lines of Creeber's book attempting to explain New Media. He also states that it would be 'naive' to define it down to a single definition. Creeber explains modernism and the old media as an 'umbrella term' that is given to the human society in their response to 'the changes that took place during the industrial revolution '(Creeber 2009, pg:11) 

     This arose around the middle of the 20th century. Around this time the world was recovering from one war just as another was about to begin. Many modernists had the perception of industrialisation ‘as the enemy of free thought and individuality: producing an essentially cold and soulless universe’. (Creeber, 2009: p.12) The modernists seen the industrial age as the death of creativity.  

 

The only people to benefit from the industrialisation were the product producers. Creeber names Henry Ford as the first to do this with his product T. Fords. The whole process was based around mass producing a product in a cheaper way by reducing production and the workforce but on a larger scale for half the time. This was the beginning of the production line in contrast to single craft work. Theodor Adorno from the Frankfurt school explains this in a way that young people of today can understand and relate to by saying that music is being reproduced and sold over and over again with more care about profit than quality.(Creeder 2009, pg:13) I agree with what Adorno is saying because same can be said about films and games amongst many other forms of media in the 21^st century era.  

Post-modernism was the successor to the industrial age or Post-Fordist as it was also known as. Creeber describes the change as ‘manufactured based economy’ to a ‘service-based economy’. This was the beginning of the ‘decline of heavy industry’. (Creeder 2009, pg:15)  In this Post-modernism era we have went from ‘Voyeurs to participants’, this has first came about with ideas from Marshall McLuhan in the book Digital McLuhan(1999). (Levinson, 1999, pg:65-79) (Creeder 2009, pg:15)  An example of the viewers becoming participants in this age can be seen through reality competition shows like ‘Big Brother’ and ‘X Factor’ where the audience decide the outcome. In the recent number of years hashtaging on Twitter has become popular and live tweets are read out on the show or on a scroll bar at the bottom of the screen.
      

Bib:

Creeber, G and Martin R. 2009, Digital Cultures, Open University Press.