Lev Manovich
Before reading the article “What is New Media?” By Lev Manovich I would have defined New Media as media that is new or different from traditional mediums, i.e. different from oil paint, sculpture in traditional forms such as marble, bronze, steel, also photography, film, video, etc… This would include computers, television, and other electronics as well as the mediums of artists like Andy Goldworthy who uses natural found elements and uses an ideology to shape his work.
I must say that I haven’t given much thought to new media in the past and after reading the article was surprised to find the category of new media as being rich and multifaceted. The idea that stands out the most for me is the comparison of digital new media tools such as computers, handheld devices and game controllers with the impact of older medias that we tend to take for granted like the printing press and the development of photography. The role that older technologies played in modern society is profound and only realized through the implementation by the artists. In the same breathe it’s easy to draw a correlation and assume that the new media of today with the development interactivity and multi-user interfaces can be vastly beneficial to modern societies and the development of the beneficial effects are in the hands of today’s artists. And yes, I think that if we are to limit the definition of new media we could risk damning the very ideas that are to be promoted through new media.
