The World Wide Web was created by Berners-Lee in 1989. The web would become a hub for creativity, global communication, and potential new markets. Berners-Lee’s early vision for the web concerned universality and creating a more connected realm of information as well as the importance of portability and extensibility. The web unlike other sources of media does not require gatekeepers or authorities controlling its information. On the web the users are in control of what they see and have endless choices. The web imitates traditional forms of communication media, such as newspapers, magazines, and books. It tries to present a familiar front to the use, emulating recognizable formatting. Early web designers focused mainly on replicating these mediums because they were aware that users were accustomed to consuming information in specific ways, and could not create something that was totally foreign to the typical user. That is why the central unit on a web site is called a page. The web also has its own spatial representation that guides the user through its platform. Navigation is one of the most important aspects that gives directionality to web creation.
The World Wide Web is part of the internet. One is able to access the web through a web browser. A web browser recognizes and translates files written in code called hypertext. The first web browsers also served for sending and receiving emails. The web system functions under the HTTP protocol. The system of delivery is one of the most important aspects of the web, it defines how efficiently information is received and interpreted by the user. Given that users usually had to wait a while for information to appear, the ability to satisfy was one of the most important elements in a successful web design. Hyperlinks allow users to give commands to their software. Hyperlinks in a specific document offer links to other documents relevant to that specific topic. The initial concept ideated by the creator of hypertext, was for all documents to be hyperlinked together in order to provide a greater access of information. The principal was that information is more valuable when connected to other information. Similarly, as the human mind goes about when associated new information to previous experiences and knowledge.
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Murray talks about four properties that are representative of computers; encyclopedic, spatial, procedural, and participatory. The objective in creating the best digital artifact possible is accomplished by successfully combining and using these four affordances. The way to think about computer programing is as a combination of abstract behaviors. Algorithms are the abstract set of guidelines and instructions programed into the computer system that simulate life like behaviors. The more lines of code and more possible outcomes to a problem the more complex the system is. Computational artifacts are characterized by moldable codes programed by specific rules and instructions. Computers are valued by their efficiency and ability to store and contain the largest amount of data and information.
The computer is also a participatory medium. The relationship between the user and the computer is a mutually active exchange of commands and responses. The user should be able to easily access and find their desired actions and it’s the digital designers job to insure there is no miscommunication between the user and the computer. Security and privacy is also a big issue with the rise of digital communication. Systems are storing large amounts of public data and information, and users are not aware of their loss of privacy. The access and ownership of data has become a way to monetize and measure digital success. The more data a digital artifact has the more powerful it can be. However, this massive exchange and flow of information has also lead to crimes such as identify theft and the rise of hackers that corrupt these systems. Users have also begun creating and distributing their own media artifacts, and gaining power by the amount of viewers that engage with their content. HCI is concerned with the relationship humans have with computers. One of the main tasks of digital designers is taking into account human restrictions and habits. The digital world has a realm of its own but does not want to seam foreign and unknown to its users, therefore it aims to imitate the real world. For example, the invention of the dock on the desktop was meant to be associated with a boat dock, where users could park and easily access their favorite applications. Digital designers also encounter challenges when trying to decide how similar certain features should be to the real artifact it is imitating. Such as a book, a folder, or a movie. The computer is also an encyclopedic medium because it provides access to catalogued and organized information. The challenge for computer designers is organizing information so it is easily obtainable and viewable by users. The computer is classified as spatial because it contains its own virtual space. The stylistic choices of designing and sizing virtual images is challenging because they must be recognizable and accessible to users but also contain a unique formatting of their own. McLuhan talks about the effects of media and technology on society. Even though this was written in 1964, McLuhan had a pretty accurate depiction of where media was heading, and a very modern outlook on technology and the way we interact with it. He mentions an interesting idea, which I would have never thought to question before. “We live mythically and integrally as it were but we continue to think in the old fragmented space and time patterns of the pre electric age.” We continue to abide by the laws and patterns of space and time set up in the pre electric age, when we are currently living in an electric era. I never considered another way to think about time and space, but technology has revolutionized our generation to the extent that the way we interact with each other, consumer information, and perceive time has changed. Therefore, it would seem natural for an evolved sense of time and space to arise.
McLuhan also talks about minority groups and how electric media has created a space for them within society and reinforced their involvement and acceptance. It is easier to understand and be aware of different cultures given their exposure through media. McLuhan also refers to his era as the age of anxiety, given the commitment and participation that comes with the use of technology. This idea is very similar to the effect social media has on millennials, it is widely known that social media platforms can be addictive, lead to anxiety, and even depression. Technology has created a sense of constant urgency, given the speed in which we consume and engage with information. McLuhan acknowledged this effect technology has on us before it became a major issue in society. McLuhan also suggests that a huge imprint of his time was the revolt against forced patterns. Mainstream media usually tries to impose traditional social norms and values onto society, and socially condemning those who do not obey. However, with the rise of alternative forms of media and communication, unconventional messages that go against the mainstream media begin to arise. McLuhan argues that instead of obsessing over how technology has impacted our society and whether it is positive or negative, we should think about how we are using technology and if we are using it in the right way or for the right reasons. “It’s not the machine but what one did with the machine, that was its meaning or message”-McLuhan. He stresses that the medium is the message, meaning that technology serves as a means for communicating messages. The way we decide to interact with the medium is the message itself. He also touches on the idea of how technology and machines have altered the way we interact with each other and ourselves, which is another pretty modern concept for his time. He notices that machines have definitely caused an alteration to the way we carry out relationships and have created new ways of interacting. He stresses the importance of recognizing the power of media and recognizing what each media message is trying to evoke. |
AuthorI am from Panama and a sophomore at Emory University. I am passionate about photography and media making. Archives |