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New Medi New Digital Age

Decent Essays

Living in a new digital age, we are seeing more computerized devices like smartphone and computers replacing old media technologies like newspaper, radio and television. Characteristics of new media as being digital, computerized, interactive and hypersexual have shaped new forms of communication. Meanwhile, the ability of new media to merge different forms of media technologies, industries and services so called convergence has also created unprecedented transformations in the society. In this paper, I argue that new media has contributed to all aspects of the paradigm shift. As it is constantly remediating its predecessors, it shapes new modes of subjectivity and changes the way we perceive knowledge. Although these changes …show more content…

Thus, new media is reproducing itself through different old technologies. Not only new media is remediating its predecessors, it also shapes new modes of subjectivity. Subjectivity means the process of being a subject; it refers to who we are to how we react to the world. The emergence of new media has unprecedentedly change the subjectivity of different things. For example, we are experiencing new forms of textual experiences and representations such as genre, form and consumption. There are new forms of embodiment and identity that change how we perceive ourselves and our bodies. Organization also changes the rules of ownership, control, regulation. These subjectivities are all being reshaped due to the change of our relationship with technologies. The example discussed in lecture is subjectivity related to selfies. Media technologies has created selfies which are these self-portraits taken by phones that gets uploaded to social media. It is a convergence of technology, interaction and body. Selfies become a way to call to the world about who we are and a commanding representation of self. Because the immediacy, ubiquity and ephemerality of the social media, selfies have embodied these characteristics and become instant, common and short-lived. The characteristics of new media is shaping the subjectivity of selfies. Moreover, devices functions are more determinative than aesthetic conventions. Technologies offer people the power to edit selfies. People

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