Response 1 – Ethan C
New Media is broad brush and its bristles are nearly all-encompassing- technology, communication, innovation, revolution, and so on. But one particular aspect of new media holds a special place in my heart and stands as my reason for enrolling in this major: storytelling. Stories are as vital a component of humanity as just about anything else- the telling of tales around the fire by our primordial ancestors was an avenue of creativity and socialization that led us to where we are today. Everyday life is an exercise in making sense of the abstract, understanding contexts and mores, and storytelling is the most capable means through which we stretch those muscles. New media allows us new ways to explore storytelling, and for that alone, it is invaluable.
The recent woman’s march is a story, and it’s a story that only came to be because of new media. Millions of people came together, across the world, without the prompting of a larger organizational or legal body, to stand up for what they believe in. Until recently, this was impossible, this story never could have been told. But new media has given us the tools to make this a reality- instant communication from anywhere to anywhere, accessible by almost anyone. New media allows nearly universal access to information, and information in the hands of the masses is power, and with that power they painted a globe-spanning middle-finger to those in power who might consider them powerless.
But while stories of that size are amazing and awe-inspiring, it’s not the kind of storytelling I’m compelled to create. With the woman’s march, we observe a passionate group of people, and from their plight, we can extrapolate how the problems they face affect an individual. That’s a great story, but I prefer character studies- plumbing the depths of each facet of someone and discovering something universally human. The number of ways new media has created for us to engage in this is innumerable- video games give us control of a digital human simulacrum and grants us the ability to inhabit their life and their world, virtual reality places us, in all but physical form, in a wholly different reality, the internet lets individuals have their voices heard in ways never before dreamed possible.
But as incredible as new media is, media has always been beautiful and fascinating, even from its earliest, most primitive beginnings- a connective thread through which we’re all spun, in one way or another. It’s important to note that new media isn’t obsolescing ‘old’ media’- it’s just bringing more experiences to the table.
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“Everyday life is an exercise in making sense of the abstract, understanding contexts and mores, and storytelling is the most capable means through which we stretch those muscles. New media allows us new ways to explore storytelling, and for that alone, it is invaluable.”
This is a rigorous and specific definition of New Media. And while it may not capture every bristle, it is avery workable for those like youth love stories.
Some cultures say Life is a dream that humans bring into creation by how they dream. The key is that dream can change and grow, and that humans have creative power to dream—through stories. Telling the stories of individual characters is how we make sense of all those larger ideas. Most documentaries use the stories of ordinary people to show us how our larger stories are working and if they ned to change–as in This Changes Everything. If you can see the forest, your trees will make more sense, eh? Looking forward to your stories…