Topic 1 Week 2 - Question D

Is there a clean break between analogue and digital media (cf. Bolter and Grusin’s concept of ‘remediation’)? Can you identify any commonalities? For example, is email based on the language of ‘letters’ and ‘the postal service’ because we have tried to fashion its communication functions in terms we are already familiar with?



DAB (digital audio broadcasting) is an interesting concept, a technology first developed in the late 80’s because it guaranteed three benefits; firstly more channels could be accessed, secondly that there was better sound quality and finally a clean interference free reception. Furthermore, sales of the DAB receivers since the 80’s have been increasing, with ‘28% of homes according to RAJAR’ (Campaign, 2008:14) having possession of them. In the book New Media - A Critical Introduction, Lister breaks down new media into 'manageable parts' (2003:3), one of which would be that new media brings about 'new relationships with subjects' (3), so with reference to DAB radio, this may be how people are able to recieve a better sound quality, how theres more plurality within stations etc.

However going by a modernist myth of the new, Bolter and Grusin, in their book titled Remediation (2000) stated that that new visual media achieve their cultural significance precisely by refashioning earlier media. They call this process of refashioning 'remediation'. Basically nothing is really new, its just altering what was originally there. Therefore referring these concepts radio, you could argue that thats exactly what DAB radio is conforming to, is improving sound quality, creating something completely new?


(2008) Campaign, 24th October 2008, pg 14
Bolter, J, Grusin, R (2000) Remediation - Understanding New Media, Published by MIT Press
Lister et al (2003) New Media - A Critical Introduction, Published by Taylor and Francis