Writing in/of/through the ether

I can't believe we are learning this CRAP.

I found it much easier to grasp the concept of hypermediacy at first, and then I realized that is because immediacy is necessarily transparent. Hypermediacy's goal is to remediate into immediacy. However, hypermediacy isn't a negative term. Hypermediacy marks advancements in technology and processes. Immediacy is merely the integration of hypermediacy into less noticeable technology. Taking from Becca's reference to the iPod's I started thinking about the process of remediation I went through. I no longer carry a bulky walkman that doesn't comfortably fit anywhere. I don't have to worry about changing CD's after every 12 songs and I don't have to worry about knowing exactly which song on each short playlist is coming next. Now I wear headphones that I don't even feel with an iPod that fits easily in my pocket listening to thousands of songs and music videos, never knowing what is coming next. I completely zone out sometimes (it can be debated as to whether this is a good thing or not). The simplicity of the iPod allows me to forget I have it, acheiving remediation from a noticeable process to a transparent one. I finally feel like I am learning practical skills and concepts that will apply somewhere outside of the classroom. By paying attention to CRAP I feel like I can begin to create a medium that dissolves leaving only the content. Before these readings I thought that it was important to have fancy and super technical aspects to a website to make it successful, but now I realize that by creating a uniform pattern with simple navigation and usability I can create a more useful website. My old goal was to have people say, "Wow! Look at all of the cool do-hickeys on this website," but I now hope people will forget they are even looking at a website. The best work I can do is something that will go virtuallly unnoticed, leaving the content to stand on its own.

posted by Anonymous @ 6:49 PM