Wikipedia:School and university projects/Open Source Culture/The Language of New Media

The Language of New Media

by Lev Manovich

Cmabridge, MIT Press, 2002.

Manovich is the guru of the New Media philosophy. His considerations enlighten the role of the New Media (digital media) in our society. In the book he considers each kind of digital media and find its peculiarity in the illusion of originality that new media give us.

The main aspect of the Digital Era is, in fact, that everything can be separated and measured by number codes. This availability let everyone to personalize his way of being in relationship with the world.

Especially this regards the system of information. Thus, the best example for Manovich to explain his theory is the web page, which appears always different remaining always the same. Besides, the Russian philosopher examines the issue of videogames and that of music considering in particular the practice of sampling as the main example of recombination in the Digital era where the DJ as the role of a God.