I am going to copy and paste my essay onto here, seeing as the storage space on the site is full so it’s not letting me upload anything larger than 2KB… sorry!
Honor Stevenson
Remediation of Computers through Cellphone Access
Smartphones, tablets, and touchscreens, oh my.
The 21st century has brought a plethora of communication mediums to the forefront. These mediums are more convenient for the everyday person, and in turn have created more efficient methods of communication. Remediation, as defined by Bolter and Grusin, is “the representation of one medium in another” (78.) So, the convenience of these gadgets, along with the remediation of older mediums creates an integrated and more fulfilling experience for the user. But the question is, with the recent access to the internet these “new media” have gained, how has the computer’s interface and interactivity been changed? The striking similarities and advancements made within the newest media show how the computer has been integrated in to the phone and essentially upgraded into computers on a portable scale. This remediation has been made possible by first, the integration of computer aspects onto phones, then by the presentation of media within a phone, and finally with the inclusion of phones in web-based media. So, to find the changes in the computer’s interface, one must look to the ways which smartphones have contributed to the progression of media.
The integration of computer’s aspects onto phones has propelled and shaped the way users receive their information. According to Bolter and Grusin, authors of Remediation: Understanding New Media, media are constantly evolving and remediating mediums that came before them (79.) Directly reflecting this is the transition from computers to smartphones. This change can be attributed to the programs which were once solely found on the computer’s interface, now becoming a part of the smartphone. A scholarly article written on the comparison of smartphones and PCs in South Korea states, that the GUI now found on smartphones increasingly resembles that of a PC computer (2.) This, according to authors Yu and Yook reflects the portability demanded by the majority of the Korean population. The authors also mention the introduction of RIM(Research in Motion) technology added to the first smart phones in 2004. Both of these reflect how the phone has become just as capable as a computer, but added itself to create a new interface for media formally solely accessible through computers.
The constant change in the way information is presented, because of the evolving media Bolter and Grusin refer to, has molded a generation’s opinion on what those people find intriguing. No longer does one read a newspaper article with no pictures, but an eye catching new article is remediated with 3D graphics, video, and color all to assist in conveying the message, as stated in the lecture “Remediation” by Brenda Grell. This realization brings to play the reasons behind the formatting of media in the cellular format. Bolter and Grusin agree that the intermingling of mediums into one product can create a whole new experience for the recipient and in turn convey a potentially different or more dull message than each medium separately. So, the compact and colorful way which icons appear on the phone is just one of many ways smartphones are visually becoming a medium of their own and transforming computers. These icons represent programs and applications which at one time were the computer’s sole possession, are now altered to become a part of a smartphone. The intermediacy is apparent as reflected by the addition of the programs and visual needs to create a more appealing product for the user.
Web-based media is on the most prominent way which the intermediacy of computers has been altered by smartphones. Today, the internet must be compatible on a small smartphone’s screen, and one often finds that the web pages are identical as the format reflects the intermediacy of the media. This is because smart phones have become so popular, that successful communication must include cellular access. In fact, according to Yu and Yook’s study, in South Korea alone 79% of the population currently own a smartphone which they actively use. Assuming the smartphone usage is reflected similarly across the world, many businesses and sights have added a purely mobile aspect to their web pages. Simply the altered layout on a phone, though containing the same media as a computer is a remediation, simply because the smaller screens require more condensation of information for the speed and convenience of the user. As this format has changed and integrated each aspect of a webpage, it creates its own portable media that is altering the interface of computers because they must create phone-accessible pages, and in turn make their computer pages more desirable so the computer audience are compelled to view the screen or use the program on a computer with all its intricacies rather than on a smartphone.
Overall, changes due to the remediation of the computer’s interface and intermediacy have been evident because of smart phones. Though these phones are the new platform for efficient information, computers are still striving to make themselves a desirable and needed media as the phone still does not have the full visual aspect of a computer. Bolter and Grusin’s theory of remediation has held true in this instance, and it is evident that smartphones are the new media which has emerged from the evolution of the computer. But the question if smartphones will totally replace computers, as their theory would suggest, remains to be seen. The changes seen in the computer are positive, as they have helped remediate further for the benefit of the user. All in all, if this progression of media continues, each media will continue to shape and evolve each other for the good of all.
Bibliography
Grell, Brenda. “Remediation.” Washington State University Vancouver, Vancouver, Wa. 29 Jan. 2013. Lecture.
Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin. Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 1999. 295 Pp.
Yu, Jinhwan, and Jooyeon Yook. The Study on the Conversed Remediation between Old and New Media of Smart Phone and PC in South Korea. Waset.org. World Academy of Science, Engineering, and Technology, 20 June 2012. Web. 15 Feb. 2013.