[-empyre-] Emergent media

[Andy Polaine <a.polaine@unsw.edu.au>]

Yes, of course it is important to be self-aware of one's milieu; I hope 
I have some awareness of that otherwise I'm in totally the wrong job. 
However, the naming of it is a different matter

I'm European too, by the way, English specifically so perhaps the term 
New Media is more common there than in Europe as a whole, although Neue 
Medien seems to be pretty common currency in Germany. Does it not? 
(Felix?) I still find I have to explain myself more here.

I'm a fan of the term Emergent Media myself. Based around a verb rather 
than an adjective creates a kind of automatic cut-off. Those media 
forms which have no emerged (text messaging, for example) are no longer 
emergent and have popular currency and usually their own name. Those 
media that are emerging (other next generation wireless devices, to 
follow the same example) are still emergent media; we still have little 
idea of what they will bring or how they will affect culture or the 
kinds of design and artistic activities that they might be used for.

Of course, unless everyone else uses the term it's pretty useless.

Cheers,

A

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Andy Polaine
Senior Lecturer

School of Media Arts
College of Fine Arts (COFA)
The University of New South Wales
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