Gane and Beer’s scholarship, again, is to be commended as this book examines diverse perspectives around the main six concepts: network, information, archive, simulation, interactivity and interface. What’s also commendable is that they don’t privilege any one of these concepts, but rather offers them as components toward developing broader ideas around new media that can be used alongside of each other (See Table One, pg. 125). For my purposes, network, interactivity and information are the most interesting to me.
Gane and Beer say “[C]oncepts might also act as intellectual interfaces that bring different theoretical systems into contact with each other, and thereby enable new cross-disciplinary work to be performed” (126). I intend to do just that with work which cross-pollinates online education with online commercial industries.
One minor critique of the book is Gane and Beer spend a lot of time arguing at the end about terms, which is not something I’ve only encountered in this book—alas, critiquing terminology is often a common way to fill out any academic scholarly work. My personal view is, “We all use terms differently due to our backgrounds and objectives. Just define what yours is and move on with your point.â€
A greater critique I have is with the term “capitalist†peppered liberally throughout the book. Why do they feel they need to make this distinction since they’re talking about developments which have come out of Western society? Capitalist–as opposed to what else? If there is another type of society on the globe, then why do they not ever venture into explaining these concepts within those other types of society? If it’s because Gane and Beer are not as familiar with how new media concepts play out in other types of society, then just say so. I just found that the constant distinction of “capitalist†made me feel they were attempting to make political critiques which may not have been entirely necessary for the purposes of this book. I don’t expect others to agree with me.
The chapter on simulation of course, overlapped with issues in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick. The whole book is a narrative which dances around this concept of evolving technologies and “What IS human?†I’m enjoying Dick’s book immensely, as I never saw Blade Runner (though I can guarantee I will see it as soon as I finish the book and my schedule is freed up a little). I’ve completed Chapter 10 and am enjoying the growing sense of uncertainty as to what the reality of Deckard’s situation is. It’s feeling much like that moment in A Beautiful Mind when all that has come before becomes questionable. I am trying to avoid any spoilers with the book as I’d like to ride the story roller-coaster without any knowledge of what’s to come.
Dick, P. K. (1968). Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? New York: Del Ray Trade Books.
Gane, N. and D. Beer. (2008) New Media: The Key Concepts. New York: Berg Publishers.
I like your observation of overlapping the chapter on Simulation with the book “Do Androids Dream of Electric sheep?” by Philip K Dick. What strikes me about it is that you have taken a work of non-fiction, and found similarities with a concept like Simulation. I would be highly interested in knowing how you you further emphasize that point.
I meant to say fiction* in the above post 🙂
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