Communication 200 Media Narratives Negroponte, “Being Digital” Kris Samuelson Byron Reeves

Being Digital (Negroponte) n Major points: n Optimism about new media n Interactive possibilities n Users and viewers rule n More information n More fun

Summarizing what is new n Digital convergence n 1’s and 0’s can represent anything n Implications of digitization n Industrial convergence n Personal convergence n Academic convergence

Atoms vs. bits n Any container can store media n Any “pipe” can carry media n Similarities among information devices and services n TV n Film n Print and books n Computing n The Internet n Information appliances n PDAs n Phones

Different ways to be in the media business n Stories n Displays n Pipes n Navigation and interface

Who are the media companies? n Stories: Disney; AP; independent film makers n Displays: Mitsubishi; Philips; Palm n Pipes: Bell Atlantic; TCI; municipalities n Interface: Microsoft; AOL

How to regulate new media (The Bit Police) n Allocation of Spectrum -- How to spend it? n Is there enough bandwidth for everyone? n The death of bandwidth concerns? n Cross ownership in a digital world n Can you say that on the internet? n Privacy, encryption

Interface: Where people and bits meet n Interface issues are huge and new n Technology too hard relative to value? n C: -- GUI – SUI – PUI -- VUI n 500 channels - How do you know what’s on? n How to use a digital library? n 80% of use is 20% of functionality

Graphical persona in new media n Issues of automated social “agents” n How do people want to interact? n Social features added as all media mature n Microsoft Office Assistants n Phone agents (Tell Me; General Magic) n Virtual trading assistants

Virtual reality (20-20 VR) n Media in goggles n Media that change according to your position and your input n A sense of “being there” and presence n But we cry when we read n Good VR -- image quality + response time n Sound and pictures -- which give the biggest bang/bit? n Low-tech virtual reality n Adaptivity n Personalization

Media that can look and feel n Computer recognition of images, expressive intent, and behavior n The human finger as input device n Eyes as input n Gesture and body movement n Recognizing emotions and personality n The “galvactivator”

Increased importance of speech (Can We Talk About This?) n Speech recognition (recognition grammars, accuracy rates) n Speech synthesis (artificial voices that allow translation from text-to-speech) n Voices increase socialness n But voice input more social than output n A new form of interface: n VUI’s (Voice User Interfaces) n Natural language conversations

Complexity of new media (Less is More) n Freedom from choice -- the desirability of fewer options n Interface agents -- social interaction is less work n Personal filters -- less junk n Decentralization -- less standardization n “Featuritis” n New features sell software n But may contribute to non-use

Smaller audiences (The Post- Information Age) n Broad -> narrow -> micro-casting n True personalization n On-demand (just-in-time) information n An audience of 1 n The decline of mass communication n The simulation of interpersonal interaction using media

Timeshifting of media experiences (Prime Time is My Time) n Anything, anytime, anywhere n VOD (video on demand) n Radio (audio) information on demand n Video on the web (video data bases) n The web on your phone n Your phone on your PDA

New media connect people (Good Connections) n Connection now more important than computing power n as lifestyle n Wireless connections to the net n Pagers, wireless phones n Business at home n Home at business n Can’t see me, don’t know where I am!

New media blend old media genres (Hard Fun) n The competition of entertainment and education n “I had a great time but I can’t remember much about what was said” n Entertainment in education n The classroom, the pulpit, politics, sales n Is it news or drama?

New media extend into new areas (Digital Fables and Foibles) n Wearable media n Ubiquitous computing n Smart appliances n Talk with your car (Auto PC) n Finding your way (GPS) n Watches, pagers, phones

New questions about what is good and bad n Personalization vs. community n Are we falling apart or coming together? n New opportunities to mislead n Are media realities different from real life? n Owning too much media? n Does Microsoft control too much?