New New Media by Paul Levinson
- Chapter 2 “Facebook”
“You were seeing a face for the person whose written words you had come to know, as well as getting a voice and in-personality to go with those words. The potential was high for concluding that this person at the table or in the room with you was very different from the person you knew online. And, yet, the result was just the opposite.” (22)
As Levinson described in this chapter, Facebook has become the predominant new new media site to create an online identity, one in which a person uses to find and share connections with others. This online persona, I feel, is particularly important for the person behind the screen; however, I believe this identity is but a farce, not a sincere portion of the actual personality. The wall that is omnipresent between the actual person and the online identity is more influential than one might realize. It is a great pretense, or even escape, to present oneself in a way that lacks the many flaws one finds cringe worthy in himself or herself in person. Therefore, I find it amusing that Levinson believes the opposite, that when meeting the individual in person, it is quite simple to pinpoint the similarities he or she has to the online persona that’s been made. Though I believe it might be mainly due to the author’s age and maturity level, as well as those of the people he decided to actually meet in person from online, that allowed him to conclude this. In comparison, as a youth, my experiences have only been with individuals of my age group, hence my cynical take on the online identities others make. Teens are still in the process of discovering and accepting their self, and so, are highly insecure and influenced by societal pressures, making the idea of online personas being insincere aspects of the true personality, plausible.
- Chapter 3 “Twitter”
“Twitter takes the classroom to a global level.” (32)
Having been a student in a traditional education system, that is a school, all my life, I’ve always considered the classroom as a sanctuary for learning. It was an integrated discussion circle, run by an adult, who had hands on interaction with the students in order to deliver knowledge. It was never a direct means of communication, more so a medium of obtaining an education for me. Levinson defines the classroom to be a setting for “mass and interpersonal communication” (32), explaining that not only is there lecturing to a big mass, who only retain the information, but there is also one on one conversation going on, when a peer addresses another, which in turn makes the mass a receiver of the dialogue again, continuing the cycle of communication. This reasoning was so logical such that I even found myself nodding along as I read this passage. However, I never made the connection between a classroom and Twitter, which Levinson does flawlessly. It was mainly because my opinion of Twitter was lower than the average new new media consumer, with its usage of words like “tweet” and “hashtag”, hence my stubbornness in accepting that Twitter has indeed expedited and globalized mass and interpersonal communication. That being said though, it does not mean I yield to the idea that it necessarily benefited communication in totality. Twitter, has allowed direct access to a person’s every day actions and thoughts, almost too personal and close, I feel. Is it actually necessary to know what someone is doing all day long, is what I ask every time I think of Twitter.
- Chapter 4 “YouTube”
“Here in our 21st century, all new new media are both space-binding and time-binding, due to the speed (across space) and retrievability (across time) of any information conveyed on the Web. But, YouTube, especially, does both, par excellence.” (54)
Communication has indeed been made easily accessible through time and space, mainly due to audiovisual appearances. No longer is there a need to attend anything or see anyone in person, as all this can be made possible through video. YouTube, I admit, is a particularly favorite new new media of mine. It had easily created the illusion of being connected to others, as an appearance through video is by far more personal than in writing or voice recording only. The person, event, object or even idea is live, yet at the same time, it is not. It’s in front of you, moving, acting, speaking, but you have no direct contact with this person, object or idea, which is amusingly ironic.
- Chapter 6 “Blogging”
“Blogging cannot in itself cure what ails our society. (No communication can.) Blogging certainly cannot solve economic crises or make peace in the world. But it beats the alternative of saying nothing, and it goes further than saying a word to the person next to you or relying entirely on professional reporters and commentators to say it for you.” (112)
Levinson smartly defines the power that blogging has by creating extreme conditions of world peace and stability, in which no person, object or idea can completely create. He sets the limits to the capabilities of blogging, but at the same time, opens the reader’s eyes to all its possibilities to contribute something, be it a mere ripple in the stagnant water, or a tidal wave. Blogging is a brilliant means to get out ideas and words, those of which people may feel unable, pressured, oppressed or uncomfortable to deliver in person. Its creation, in my opinion, has had more advantages than disadvantages, when it comes to replacing old mediums of communication. Having always been a fan of the written word, I find that blogging, despite its informal uses for the most part, is a great means to keep old media rich in society. All it takes is to write about anything you hold an opinion for, read what others have to say and/or offer feedback, positive or not.
MLA Citation
Levinson, Paul. New New Media. New York: Pearson, 2013. Print