@cougar_sean
Hulu is an online website that allows anyone and everyone to access the latest in television entertainment. There are highlights of weekly episodes, lists of popular shows and even clips of various programs under the “best of” category. Hulu is a new media object as defined by Manovich as it fits all five characteristics he explains in his book, “The Language of New Media”. The first descriptor he uses is the visual aspect of such an object–numerical representation. This is a website; it is digital and plays digital videos. Secondly, there must be modularity; links to other websites that draw from the host site. Hulu has ads and even commercials interspersed within the programs it shows. Although many find this to be obnoxious, the ads serve their purpose. Automation or the process of working without any human interaction is easily identified with weekly updates and the upload of episodes at a specified time each day. Humans need not worry about pressing the “upload” button at just the right time in each timezone if we can simply program a computer to do it for us. Variability is another part of Manovich’s definition of a new media object. Hulu displays, based on shows viewed previously by the user, shows and clips that are related to the intended audience. For instance, if someone were to watch an episode of the Colbert Report, Hulu will suggest other episodes and perhaps even shows that are often coupled with Colbert like the Daily Show. Lastly, there must be technological influence in the form of transcoding. Transcoding is all about the way in which new media is associated with certain stereotypes in culture. Hulu for instance brings in audience members from all facets of life: people living without television who depend on online streaming, people with busy lives who miss certain shows and wish to view it online rather than waiting for it to rerun, et cetera. Hulu encapsulates the five core concepts of a new media object and will continue to set the trend for the digital age as more and more people choose to eliminate their cable or satellite contracts and switch to online streaming.