Week 2: Reading

All readings taken from Lister, M et al. (2003) New Media Cultures: An Introduction, Routledge, London.

p. 2 With Windows Vista coming out, and so on, what is ‘upgrade culture’ all about? Is some new media change just consumerism thought up by big business?

Upgrade culture is the constant change and development of technology available to us that we choose to purchase. "With the practice of upgrading, the computer itself becomes a technology in flux, rather than a finally achieved and stable piece of technology." This means that because a computer is full of room for improvement and change, it is harder to analyse it as a technology due to its unstable nature. The introduction of Windows Vista is not just a consumerism, more so a consumerism by choice, as in people can choose to buy it if they would like their computer to run in a different or faster way. It does not mean that older variations of the same programme will become obsolete to the wider public, only the chosen few who like to run their PC's at their optimum efficiency.

p. 3+ According to Lister et al., some commentators stress the ‘newness’ of new media, but others (such as Kevin Robins) can be seen to be saying that nothing fundamental has changed, because new media technology is another product of capitalism, and therefore will fit into and serve a pre-existing capitalist society and culture, rather than transform it in any fundamental sense. Any thoughts? Can we critique this position?

I disagree with Robins's statement. Fundamentally technology has changed. Where once it was purely something immobile and only available to those whose wage packets exceeded four zeros, its ability to be mass produced and so widely available, thus cheapening it, has also made it immensely mobile and useful to people with a busy lifestyle. Look at the creation of the mobile internet available on mobile phones, and the creation of laptops small enough to fit into an envelope. Previously, although available to the whole world, the internet could only be accessed through the gateway that is a PC. Now, it can be accessed anywhere a signal reaches, which is basically worldwide, creating a more efficient technology better for using at any time, any place.

p.11 Are new media a source of ‘progress’ in the sense that they enhance things we do in spheres of social activity – business, education, shopping, democracy etc? Could we say that such a proposition involves an ‘ideology of progress’?

I think this can be true to an extent. Certain circles rely on enhancements of virtual life to make real life more fun and interesting, and we tend to get on with people even better when we share the same interests. The boom of Ebay as a business and a reliable shopping centre online is a fine example of this, as it is purely an internet company, yet businesses have grown up around for people who do not have the time to set up their own Ebay account and sell their belongings. Companies charge the selling fees which are very small and a commission of the final selling price as part of their work. I think that such a business exists prove how much influence technology can have over the wider world.