Digital systems promote the formation of a new conceptual framework altering the zeitgeist. From the destabilization of hierarchical power systems to the reorganization of social interaction, a freely inquisitive attitude towards our environment and conventions is provoked by the unrestrained communication of millions of voices, all on an equal footing. Our value conventions can be completely re-thought, when the roles of producer and consumer are no longer clearly defined, as clay shirky puts it ‘the audience can now talk to each other’. The possibility of mass participation without the constraints of time, space and money allow for more accountability and transparency within power structures and encourage debate. We have seen through the example of the Barack Obama’s election campaign, the power that digital has to increase the impact of the individual voice.

Digital is a universal language, a way of deconstructing information so that a huge spectrum of contradictory mediums and thought processes share a common language. A mathematical manipulation of human output that enables all ideas, programs and mediums to be held, processed and transformed on equal terms. A reduction, a simplification, digital is a new language and language transforms perspective. Digital is a catalyst, digital revolutionizes not only community dynamic but also the very definition of community itself, it allows for the formation of a village dynamic expanded to an unlimited scale. Thus presenting the opportunity to change our concepts of borders and ‘nation states’, national identities and to question our attachment to national patriotism. The Internet creates the opportunity for the formation of a global identity just as 300 years ago the letterpress was able to expand the sense of community identity.

Digital has turned the preconceived conventions of a capitalist age upside down. The absurdity of the institution has been exposed and in it’s place a self-governing organic structure of mutual participation and co-operation has begun to grow. Natural forms do not spring into being neat and clean and perfect, they are messy and flawed. Those flaws are what prompt change and allow for development they prevent the formation of a static, outdated and ultimately doomed body. Digital is an echo of natural electrical processes, a Quasi-tangible realization of human thought. The ‘noise’ of the Internet provokes organization and contribution, it forces people to negotiate the mess and in doing so the content is refined. ‘The Internet is the ultimate execution of free evolution, democracy and creativity. It has the power to release hidden creativity and to promote independent thought. To break through the constraints of an indoctrinated capitalist society. Power to the masses, is given through creative and consumptive freedom. The possibility for equal individual participation in every circumstance’

Digital is art. The arts have always been involved in creating new environments whether through painting, fiction, drama etc Humans have always sort for escape routes through the manipulation of the imagination. The use of digital technology has opened up another avenue though which humans can not only remove themselves from reality, but almost form a new one. The phenomenon of second life has propelled the possibilities for understanding and testing human identity, experience, business and relation into a new realm where nothing can be taken as given.

‘The “center” is everywhere in the virtual geography of the Internet’, which means we as a species are forced to revaluate are bearings and question long held conventions and ideals. The digital revolution has proved so powerful that its ripples are felt in every aspect of life and look set to become more ingrained with time. This is the doorway to a new world and we have only just begun to reach for the handle.

Change, a difference in conceptual framework of populations, revolution of power systems, a revolution of social rules, a questioning environment, accountability, a naturally self governing system of contribution and co-operation, mass participation, increasing th impact of the individual voice, revolution of community dynamic, social change.

Clay Shirky videos:

2005:

how do you organise a group? economic structure- founded on the institution, use the institution to co-ordinate the group OR put co-ordination into the infrastructure. Institutions -create the professional class, Tagging- an example of building co-ordination into the infrastructure.

Flicker- and example of digital world allowing for the replacement of planning with co-ordination.

‘Power loss’ distribution of occurs in free social contribution situations. 80:20 rule e.g 20% of the merchandise makes up 80% of the revenue- This situations creates costs too high to make an institution feasible.

Digital has re-engineered the system, valuing contribution. Institution as enabler or institution as obstacle?

Co-operative systems harness these single contributions.

A change in equilibrium of human organisation, the institution is becoming incoherent. Institutions framing consciouness, once infrastructure is freed it has it’s own guiding force e.g pro-ana websites.

50 year of chaos insued after the creation of the printing press. Pressured institutions violent death throws, a massive readjustment.

The village dynamic on a mass, infinite scale. The ability to change our concept of borders and ‘nation states’.

How to value content? without the institution applying standards, our value conventions can be completely re-thought.

2009 video:

Allows the possibility for equal individual participation in every circumstance. Social capital, socially interesting only when digital becomes technically boring. Innovation happens when technology becomes ignorable, intergrated. Media that is good at creating conversations but npo good at creating groups/ Media that is good at creating grouos but no good at creating conersations. In the 20thcentury the internet can absorb all forms of media, acting as site of co-ordination- it’s good at groups and conversations.

Removing control and power from the institutions- the government. China is the most successful sensor of the internet- ‘the great fire wall of china’

the media landscape and the ability to reach people is now – global, social,  ubiquitous and cheap. The audience can now talk to each other.

Digital noise? What is noise? Sound and noise, noise is negative a chaotic, messy force which obscures and complicates transmissions. Or is it a catalyst? The noise of the internet provokes organisation and contribution. Forces people to negotiate the mess and refine the content, to use their minds independently. Old media is controlled and discrete, newspapers have an owner, have contributers and readers. The internet has no real owner or you could say that it has millions, which comes to the same thing. The internet is the ultimate execution of free evolution, democracy and creativity. It has the power to release hidden creativity and to promote independent thought. To break through the constraints of an indoctrinated capitalist society. Power to the masses, is given through creative and consumptive freedom. But is it realistic? How much can the likes of Rupert Murdoch tame the beast? As they have manipulated and tethered society can the same thing happen to the online world? Or is the sheer scale and continuously evolving nature of the internet too much for even the likes of Murdoch to harness?

Claude Shannon- Linear communication. Not concerned with the transmission of a meaning but purely with the technical elements of transmitting sound from one source to another. The ideal is a clean sound, free from noise.

David Weingberger- Noise plays an important role in communication. Communication is not linear, it involves feedback it is a reciprocal relationship. Noise creates difference and the opportunity for problem solving creativity and lateral thinking.

Mark Hansen “new philosophy for new media”- a movement to embodied experience, a truly interactive experience to art. Physically affective media. Digital is potentially a disembodied experience so what remains distinctly human?

5 views of the internet:

1. just a tool, the internet extrapolates on strategies we have always used.

2. Big but becoming mundane

3.Big and bad, destroying the professional role. No heirarchical voice. Dependency on the web results in a dumbing down of the populace. Erodes privacy and identity.

4. Big and getting bigger fast, meaning there is more diversity and choice, allows for collaboration and provides new models for production and interaction.

5.Its big and its good but it’s becoming bad.

Performance work has the problem of temporality, how can its intent be retained? Chris and Keir use photography and film and the internet to document their actions. Is the work degraded in the method of retention? Performance art has the ability to directly alter social interactions and/or environments, however fleeting the effect may be, like direct political action performance art holds the promise of changing- through small incremental episodes-the zeitgeist. 

With Chris and Keirs work there is a strong element of humor. This comedic element is engaging and undoubtably useful when working on a public platform but does it detract from any serious investigative agenda? I don’t think so, why should comedy not be utilised in the production of art? the thought process and decision making behind the performance are what separate it from theatre. 

Unity panda-

working as a trio, combining Jonnets ‘deep issues’ with Chris and Keirs ‘fun’. They seem to be questioning communication. Pandas have been imbued with significance and status by humans, in Chinese culture specifically.  So much so that the giving of Pandas as gifts is seen as a politically significant gesture. The panda has served as a vehicle for diplomacy and political interaction. Knitting has a historically social character, whether knitting for necessity or pleasure it is an activity which can bring people together to socialize and interact. The digital world is among other things a world of new communication pathways, and opportunities for interaction. These 3 stratas of seeming disparate methods of communication have been brought together by Chris, Keir and Jonnet.

The dance element is the Chris and Keir contribution, the element of fun. This does link back to chinese performances and re-establishes the link with the political importance of the panda. Whether any of these significances are successfully communicated by the final evolution of the work is yet to be seen, and how the different elements are documented and presented will be paramount.

None of them like galleries and want to work instead directly with people.

‘The practice of everyday (media) life’-

Media content and the web has created a new media universe- Easy sharing and accessing of media

From “media” to “social media”-how does this effect medias function?

2000′s sore shift of productions. From a small minority of professional producers feeding the majority of users to a majority of unprofessional producers feeding the majority of users- democratization of production and information.

How does this effect culture and art?

Not all users are producers, majority of sources are still professional.

Long tail phenomenon. How does the source of information effect the perspective gained of the world?

Non professsional producers are still influenced by the structures set by the professionals. “even more firmly colonized by commercial media”

Certau distinctions: “strategies” and “tactics” 

Strategies are used by powerful institutions. Tactics are used by the populace outside of institutions. e.g city planning.

Nowadays the roles are sometimes reversed.

Do humans experience the world analogically? Digital allows for perfect replication?

Audiences have more control. Revoloution of random access- controlled randomness.

Mike Wesh- ‘Its not about being more knowledgeable its about being more knowledge able”

A new reality? define reality- a mental construct, subjective or objective? Our own reality reflecting virtual reality.

Engaging he senses, Occularcentric society of the west.

“Haptic”- hand games controllers.

Digital effects- When CGI gets so realistic, the lines between allusion and reality are hard to define. Deceptive fantasy. 

Digital is an echo of natural electrical processes.

Analogue allows for human flaws. Democratization of technology allowed by digital, bettering culture. 

Easy access to technology creates culture shifts.

Open and closed systems- democratization. The change in hunan behaivour due to the influence of computers and technology in general.

Making the etheral tangible.

‘information is in fact the world in process; and consciousness is our experience of being that process’

‘living creatures….are…..regulatory interfaces of interactions occuring between their internal and external environments’

‘Awareness happens neither “inside” or “outside” an individual but instead in the threshold between the two at their interface’

Mass storage system

Personal

Computers

Circuitry

The internet

Communication

Interaction

Binary

Virtual reality

Another art form

Cyberspace

Music

Quasi-tangible realization of human thought

Robots

Digital is a way of deconstructing information so that a huge spectrum of contradictory mediums and thought processes share a common language. A mathematical manipulation of human output which enables all ideas, programs and mediums to be held, processed and transformed on equal terms. A reduction,  a simplification. Digital is a new language and language transforms perspective.

Digital is art. The art have always been involved in creating new environments, whether thats through music, painting etc. The use of digital technology has opended up another avenue though which humans can remove themselves from reality.