Old and new media are similar.
MVI_1365 from Georgia Cerni on Vimeo.
This idea is inspired in part by Natale’s suggestion that “we should refuse binary and progressive distinctions between old and new media”. (p. 586, 2016) While acknowledging that the quality of media technology may have improved and increased accessibility has come with these improvements, we should consider that the way we engage with media may not have changed as much as is commonly assumed. There is an assumption that there are distinct, discernable differences between the ways we engage with digital and analogue media. This can be seen by the labels we attribute to various forms of media, for example analogue technology such as the VHS tape as “old” and digital streaming services like Netflix as “new”. While of course these labels are correct in terms of chronology, it can argued that the VHS tape is not a defunct technology because “new” platforms like Netflix are in some ways apart of their legacy. In this clip, we see the progression from VHS home video to video on demand services.
To explore this concept, we will consider Shapiro and Humphries research on the evolution of military correspondence, from civil war letters to blogging platforms. They note the similarities between two different platforms – traditional letter writing and blogging and how these similarities “suggest a deeper culture of communication among soldiers distanced by war.” (p. 1152, 2012) This need for communication still necessitates correspondence and blogging is one way to do this, as letter writing was. In other words, the concept itself (telling civilians about one’s military experience) is the same, while the method used is different.
With this artefact, I attempted to convey the idea that despite shifts in media technology, we still engage with media in a similar way. Today, anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection has access to a plethora of information and entertainment, and as a result of this there are bound to be changes in our media habits. However, we should also consider that content from twenty years ago, like films and television shows, can still hold relevance in one’s life, even if the platforms these are being viewed and accessed on have changed. Tyron considers the future of cinema and spectatorship, noting that although viewing practises are changing because of “platform mobility”, “for millions… movies still hold a significant place in our cultural imagination.” (p. 180, 2013)
Hagener also has an interesting perspective on the current cinema landscape, arguing that gone are the days of “patience” (p. 190) when it comes to being a spectator, today with the diversification of platforms we have “fluidity and flexibility” (191) – more and more people are becoming cinephiles. (2016) Today, viewers can watch ‘Spice World’ on a number of platforms – the old medium, film can flourish in the digital age rather than being in competition with it.
In conclusion, it can be seen that “new” and “old” media are not direct opponents, nor should they necessarily be seen as completely separate entities. While the landscape is changing, digital media can be used to distribute and celebrate what was once considered “old” media, as we can see with films that were once available on the analogue VHS tape being available online.
References
Hagener, M 2016, ‘Cinephilia and Film Culture in the Age of Digital Networks’ in M Hagener, V Hediger & A Strohmaier, (eds), The State of Post – Cinema, pp. 189 – 191. Available at: https://link-springer-com.ezproxy.lib.rmit.edu.au/book/10.1057%2F978-1-137-52939-8 [Accessed 26 Mar. 2017].
Natale, S 2016, ‘There Are No Old Media’, Journal of Communcation, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 585 – 603. Available from: Old’s Cool Media Factory Blog. [Accessed: 20th March 2017]
Shapiro, S & Humphreys, L 2013, ‘Exploring old and new media: Comparing military blogs to Civil War Letters’, New Media & Society, vol. 15, no. 7, pp. 1151 – 1167. Available at: SAGE Communication Studies. [Accessed: 23rd March 2017]
Tyron, C 2013, ‘On – Demand Culture: Digital Delivery and the Future of Movies‘, Rutgers University Press, London. Available from: Google eBooks. [24th March 2017]
Video acknowledgements
Music used:
Inside and Out by Colored Mind on Soundcloud
Licensed under creative commons
Archival footage used:
Under public domain
https://archive.org/details/VHSRecordingPrinciplesTape01
https://archive.org/details/2009_Movies
https://ia601305.us.archive.org/0/items/TheFineBros-
2_20160128/ELDERS%20REACT%20TO%20NETFLIX-2PHccY
owfo4.mp4