ASG 2: Media Studies

Post no.10
Literature Review - 4
Reviewed - Media Studies AREADER by Paul Marris & Sue Thornham

• Lefebvre (1992), "Spectacle by Henri Lefebvre ; the exhibition to present a form of mass consumption." (p. 79)

Complete references are below this post.
1. Henri Lefebvre's :Production of Space Doc downloadable here (p.8)
2. and an Introduction to Henri book here.(p. 48)
3. and an ebook on NewMedia available here (p. 268).

From the first link:

Lefebvre (1992), "Space is no longer something concrete and opaque, that is, something to be experienced and lived (as well as perceived and conceived);"(p.8)

A well designed space here refers to an area where people could truly experience and live in the moment.

From the second link, where he states:

 Merrifield, A. (2006),“participation that is effective, continuous, permanent—participation which is both institutive and constitutive” (p.48)

I would dive into Debord's work but I'm feeling like I'm straying. The third link explains how everything in our world comes together as a totality to form 'beautiful living'. 

• Marris (2000), Emancipate "set free (from legal, social political restriction)

Emancipatory Use Of Media

- Decentralized program

- Each receiver a potential transmitter

- Mobilization of the masses (they have a choice)

- Interaction of those involved, feedback.

- A political learning process

- Collective Production

- Social control by self organizations

• Marris (2000), Repressive "restraining personal freedom."

Repressive Use Of Media (xyloband)

- centrally controlled program
- one transmitter, many receivers (radio)
- immobilization of isolated individuals
- passive consumer behavior
- Depoliticization
- Production by specialists
- controlled by property owners or bureaucracy


These terms could very much be applied to what I'm doing now with my Final Year Project. I'm dealing with crowd participation so this is one of the important things to take note. I'm doing something that would enable the crowd to have interactions with the artists during concerts. Many existing products like Xyloband are trying to do the similar thing but have passive responses. It has a centralized program that control the lights of all the bands that the concert go-ers are wearing. What if the users could control their own lights and the concert with it? People are craving customization and effective user feedback. So does this mean that it is the end for repressive medias now that emancipatory medias are greater in demand?

• Marris (2000),"The human being serves the machine, he adapts to it."(p.83)

This could correlate with Cyborgism although devices are made to adapt into the users' lives. Our smartphone has definitely changed our lives and the way we live. 

• Marris (2000), "Hans Enzensberger, 'the media made possible for mass participation in a productive process at once social and socialized, a participation whose practical means are in the hands of the mass themselves.'"(p.98)

Right now, the wearable tech used for large crowd settings are repressive due to the costs and the need for standardization. Let's see how the world changes when the users demand personal freedom and customization.

References

Marris, P. and Thornham, S. (2000). Media studies. 1st ed. New York: New York University Press.

Henri Lefebvre's The Production of Space. (1992). 1st ed. [ebook] National Taiwan Normal University Department of Geography, p.48. Available at: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:sfaza9pny0IJ:www1.geo.ntnu.edu.tw/~moise/Data/Books/Social/08%2520part%2520of%2520theory/henri%2520lefebvre%27s%2520the%2520production%2520of%2520space.doc+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=my [Accessed 1 Oct. 2014].

Merrifield, A. (2006). Henri Lefebvre: A Critical Introduction. 1st ed. [ebook] New York & London: Routledge. Available at: https://selforganizedseminar.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/merrifield-lefebvre-intro.pdf [Accessed 1 Oct. 2014].

Wardrip-Fruin, N. and Monfort, N. (2003). The NewMediaReader, Volume 1. 1st ed. USA: The MIT Press, p.268.