Context Collapse and the New Mediated Self

For this lovely reflection post, the first few chapters of Joshua Meyrowitz' book "No Sense of Place" and Dr. Mike Wesch's article "YouTube and You: Experiences of Self-Awareness and Context Collapse of the Recording Webcam" were read.

Following the ideas presented in the media ecology articles, Meyrowitz' book reflects on the impacts of new media on societies and especially electronic media. "No Sense of Place" was published in the 1980s and was meant to address the social impacts of television. Meyrowitz points out that, at the time of publication, almost all work concerning television and new media were not about the medium but about the message that it conveyed. The "medium is viewed as a neutral delivery system", which is not true. Each medium has its own biases concerning the significance of space, time, and physical barriers as communication barriers. They create new social environments that reshape behavior in ways that go beyond the specific products or messages delivered.

The "medium is the message", to quote McLuhan. The changes in media as electronic media have evolved have enabled new ways of communication, the possibility to move away from linear rationality as enforced by pure text, and new types of self-awareness and reflection. The new e-media have changed both social environments with things like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and other media that encourage "ambient intimacy". There is also a visible "cultural lag", wherein some parts of society and culture embrace the new media and are thus "ahead of the rest". Therein lies the underlying suspicion and distrust of the internet. Some might argue that only some people are using the internet and the new media evolving electronically. For certain, not everyone uses/posts to YouTube, /b/, 4chan, fanfiction.net, twitter, or facebook and the fact that not everyone has become acculturated to these new-fangled gadgets is quite possibly one reason for all of the skepticism and dislike that is aired about such things - people fear what they do not know/understand... somewhat understandably.

Dr. Wesch's article emphasized one particular new medium, that of YouTube and the vlog. The message sent by the medium was one of context collapse and then the embracing of the new black-hole of context. The vlogs allow for new ways to reflect on who/what you are, while others can watch you free of other's expectations to react or respond. Wesch mentions a perceived loss of community with this networked individualization, and I'm sure that that is true. However, what I got out of both articles is that the internet and all of the possibilities it affords people in terms of new modes of expression, reflection, and culture are still very much so in infancy and waiting to grow/evolve. These new media reshape culture and institutions (see Wesch's video Web 2.0), but new media are constantly being introduced.

Does this new media and the context collapse under the weight of infinitely possible types of context foster Anonymous/anonymity? I think that one could argue that the new media have provided for a context collapse and a major shift in the form of new media; the social structures, mores, and culture are still evolving and attempting to "catch up" with the conundrums that these new media of communication are presenting to the world, mostly free of charge. I think that it will be interesting to see what happens with the internet and the various NEW media that will be introduced; what institutions and cultural modifications come into existence because of them. This is a whole new world. Electronic media are allowing for new ways of thought and more possibilities for contexts, self-reflection, organization, et al.

Who knows what will happen next?