8th weekly classes (Tue23, Thu25) - Summary and Comment after class about "Virtuality and Cyberspace(the characteristic of new media)"

* This weekly summary *

We studied Virtuality and Virtual reality in this week. They are also characteristics of new media. We learned VR in detail and I thought how we communicate the other or the real world.

* This weekly my comment *

1. What is VR?
Virtual reality is an environment which is produced by a computer and seems very like reality to the person experiencing it. PHILIP ROSEDALE who is the founder of 'Second Life' came Korea to address World Knowledge Forum 2007 last week. In second life, real humans are shown as digital versions of themselves known as avatars. They build homes and businesses, buy and sell land and have relationships - all through the medium of the computer. But I think the technology behind virtual worlds is still a long way off being ready for mass use.

2. The difference between VR and AR
VR is that the real object is put on the virtual environment. On the other hand, AR(Augmented Reality) is that the virtual object is put on the real environment. We can see AR when we watch football game. we can see the national flags on the green ground. I think VR and AR are another representation of reality but they make people do things what they could not do before. So Our quality of life is going to be much more risen by VR.

3. Two ways of approaching the VR
(1) Immersive VR is about our sensory and experience. We can feel touch and force from the Haptic devices and sense of sight by HMD etc.
(2) VR of online network is about connectivity and space. We usually communicate with other people in space which does not exist physically.
we will meet new technology of communication frequently Because New media is in progress now and perhaps we will be in state of disorder.

4. The controversy about the ID
ID is identity. I think ID needs to be just tool to prove myself. ID must not be human himself. Because of this, I think the problems of vicious reply appeared. So I am in favor in the real-name system.

9th Class(Thu. 10.11) - Summary and Comment after class about "Dispersal(the characteristic of new media)"

* Today's summary *

Today We studied Dispersal which is one of the characteristics of new media. We discussed difference between dispersal and distribution. We knew that we are in an age of major change in consumption and production on new media's age.

* Today's my comment *

1. What is the difference between dispersal and distribution?
Dispersal is already there. it is dispersed to wide area and there isn't the core. On the other hand, Distribution needs someone or some subject which distributes. In new media, we can see that the role of sender and receiver is being shifted continuously.
I believe that a boundary between developer and user will be ambiguous.

2. Dispersal in consumption
There were not enough devices to represent something to people in former days, mass media period. So men of former period had to distribute through mass media like TV, newspaper. These are an one-way form. But now, we have many devices to represent something we want to display.
I can see this system in winamp system. I think these systems like SecondLife(VR System) will be effecient and can make high profits in coming web 2.0 age.

3. Prosumer
Prosumer is a compound word composed by consumer and producer. This means that everyone can be a producer. But I am worrying that if everyone is prosumer. Our field may be gone. So we need to know much more than prosumer.

After class, I thought the problem of dispersal that we have to adjust ourselves to the standard.
And I thought there will not be a controller because of character that is dispersal in web 2.0 age.

8th Class(Tue. 10.9) - Summary and Comment after class about "hypertext(the characteristic of new media)"

* Today's summary *

We've been learning the characteristics of new media over two weeks. Today We studied what 'hypertext' is, the meaning of the 'hyper', the theories about hypertext and the scholars who mentioned hypertext.

* Today's my comment *

1. What does the hyper stands for?
Hyper is just above the surface and Hypo is just below the surface.
That is, The structure is as follows;

Above

Hyper

Surface

Hypo

Below

In here, Hypertext is floating over the text.
We often use 'on the assumption that(~라는 가정을 깔고)'. I understood this when I learned the position of the hypo.

2. What is the hypertext?

• Hypertext is non-sequential writing. Although the Producer makes sequential webpage, the user approachs non-sequentially.
• We get the information from the general text one after the other but Hypertext is the system which can get the information by the sequence what the user thinks.
• Hypertext is the basis for cultural production.

I think We can't control users. So I believe We can make more various culture or media.

3. The theories about the hypertext and the scholars

We consider hypertext as the practice of literary theory. Contempory literatures have various format. For example, There is the digital writing without plots and We can find the books authored by many writers.

After class, I believe hypertext makes us free as we may think than traditional text.

7th Class(Thu. 10.4) - Summary and Comment after class about "Interactivity(the characteristic of new media)"

* Today's summary *

We learned about 'Interactivity' which is one of the characteristics of new media.
In the concrete, We learned these things : How the interactivity works, Differences between the interacitvity and the feedback, what the interacivity is for and the problems of interactivity.

* Today's my comment *

1. How does the interactivity work?
Interactivity is not a one-sided flow but what takes and gives. That is, it is an interaction between me and the medium.
I think the media like book, newspaper or poem can not interact. They just give us some information but We can't give anything to them.

2. Differences between the interactivity and the feedback
We call feedback a series of work cycle. Interacvity is the continuous relationship with the two main subjects.

3. what is the interactivity for?
For example, Companies categorize the customers who register their webpage for advertising to each other.
I have to give a good interactivity if i want to get the exact information.

4. The problems of the interactivity
Today, we have 3 problems of the interactivity.

• Interpretation : Professor said that fragmented sentence's meaning could be different from the whole text. And I think the meaning can be mistranslated because of the cultural differences.
• Definition : Definition of the word can be different because of generation, sex, culture etc.
• Problems for Producers : Producers are worry because they don't know the habit of the users.

Interactivity is the concept which is hard to understand. I believe We have to consider interactivity between me and the media or between me and the another person across the media.

6th Class(Tue. 10.2) - Summary and Comment after class about "Distinguishing between kinds of new media" and "Digitality(the feature of new media)"

* Today's summary *

We've learned what new media are over two weeks. Today, We learned how we can distinguish between kinds of new media. After that, We met new theme which was the characteristics of new media. The first characteristic was 'digitality'.

* Today's my comment *

※ The kinds of new media are classified according to 3 ways:
1. New textual experiences
Communication with other world could be possible by text in real-time. I think these changes of text from book or newspaper are important.
2. New ways of representing the world
In old times and now, people use painting or photograph to represent the real world. And These days, we can experience VR(Virtual Reality). The ways of representing the world have been changing to the three-dimensional representation but I believe the plane representation won't disappear because of the pleasure of imagination.
3. New Relationship between subject and media

※ New theme : Digital!!
1. What does digital mean?
Digital is that the physical properties are changed to binary numeric forms. So Digital need sampling, Quantization and Encoding.
2. The differences of Analogue and Digital
Analogue is the continual thing and Digital is the discerte thing.

People think Digital media of New media because of the rapid growth of computer technology but I think Digital is a kind of New media because People represent their thought by using Digital like computer.