“Electronic technology offers two distinct sets of tools for presentation and representation: tools for writing, and tools for visualization and sensory presentation. The computer and attendant technologies call forth both a new writing space and new perceptual space. Each of these new spaces in turn fosters a different construction of self” (130).
I found this section to be particularly through provoking when applied to the ideals behind the creation of Microsoft Office. Most, if not all of us, use Microsoft Office. Office comes with such programs as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. However, when creating either a word document, a chart, or a PowerPoint, we are creating a way to communicate with others. But, though these ways of communication, we are able to personalize the overall appearance, which can change the overall message.
Think about it: if you are shown a PowerPoint presentation in class, which one are you more likely to pay attention to? The presentation that is in purely black and white, Time New Roman, or the presentation with slide designs, fancy fonts and appealing transitions? The way that we “design” and personalize our message can change the overall impact it has on our audiences.
There are numerous ways we use technologies to help define ourselves. Just from reading this post, can you guess my favorite color?
I bet your favorite color is blue...i mean pink..GAHH (sorry Monty Python and the Holy Grail reference)
ReplyDeleteI find the funny thing about having a lot more options to add design into our presentations and every day correspondence is both a blessing and a nightmare. I've lost count of how many times I wanted to scream at somebody for using Comic Sans for a formal poster, or even an exam.
Though we have the ability to communicate our message in different styles, colors, and fonts. I think sometimes we need to take a page out of Apple's playbook and keep it simple, yet sharp.
It is interesting to think about how we are now able to personalize our digital presentations or media by way of fonts, sizes, colors and pictures. When myspace was in it's glory, users would go crazy selecting different colors for profile backgrounds, perhaps a background image, adding a profile song, getting hacks to make the banners on top of the profile to disappear and of course changing the font and color, all to personalize their profile and make it unique according to their likes and dislikes. People were obsessed with personalizing their online identities to reflect themselves....or their alter-ego.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how the quote from Bolter relates to the point you're making here. I would agree that personalization, customization, is very much a feature of new media as opposed to the one-size-fits-all mentality of traditional mass media.
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