In 7th grade, our English teacher read us a chapter from an anthology of science fiction stories entitled 2041: Twelve Stories About the Future. In the chapter, entitled “Lose Now, Pay Later,” two kids, Deb and Trinja, stumble upon a shop at their local mall that distributes a popular new dessert, called swoodie. While the…
In his book Edited Clean Version, author Raiford Guins discusses the nature of control culture and the technologies used to enforce such ideologies. Similar to the construction of hyperlink pathways that shrouds pre-determined connections under the illusion of control, information superhighways create the perception of control. As Guins notes, “Control is enabled through the control…
Last semester, I took an experimental English class with Professor Ben Lobpries that explored the genre of 9/11 literature and how such texts channel the values of a post-9/11 America. One of the books we read, Falling Man by Don DeLillo, follows the life of Keith Neudecker, a survivor of the terrorist attacks. In the…
YouTube is a product of a digital revolution in terms of video content on the Internet. What started out as a platform for user-generated content (UGC) has become one of the most popular websites in the world, even inspiring its own set of vocabulary (YouTuber, “to go viral,” vlogging, etc.). It seems only natural that…
Cult movies are an essential development of the film industry. Packed with subtle allusions and layered with plot arcs and information, cult classics insert themselves into movie history through their appeal to fan culture. The key to this attraction lies in the collection of “secrets” that are woven throughout a film’s narrative. Henry Jenkins addresses…
The widespread belief that virtual worlds like Second Life have no impact on the real-life behaviors of youth is dangerously inaccurate. If play is just another pedagogical tool through which lessons about everyday life can be projected, then immersive worlds like Second Life are just as influential on a child’s behavior as any book or…
Video games are the devil. At least, that’s what opponents of video games want you to think. In his essay, Virtual Gangstas in the Era of State Violence, David Leonard discusses the story of Devin Moore, a 16-year-old teenager who cited Grand Theft Auto as his inspiration for killing 3 police officers in the summer…
As the Internet shifts from a world of primarily text-based interactions to one dominated by graphical stimuli, digital visuality and its role in online communication become more significant. The popularization of AIM buddy icons is one example of this trend. In her book, Digitizing Race: Visual Cultures of the Internet, Lisa Nakamura explores the growth…
To text or not to text, that is the question. As communication shifts into the digital realm, our interactions have become more “flattened” through the use of phatic technologies, which, according to Vincent Miller in his study New Media, Networking, and Phatic Culture, “build relationships and sustain social interaction through pervasive (but non-informational) contact” (395).…
I began to associate computers with video games around the age of 8. For the first time, teachers were offering computer games as an alternative to recess. This development not only equated the two activities but also signaled the beginning of a troubling trend, one that promised and encouraged a mental escape over a physical…
WIIH Fellows: New Media, New Knowledge 