Final Post - Final Thoughts

1. What is the most significant thing that you've learned about digital publishing?

The most significant thing that I have learned about digital publishing in this class is probably the theories of remediation and hypermedia/transparency. Although these theories have crossed my mind for specific situations before, I had never thought about them as universal principals in design or as part of the creative process. I think that Bolter and Grusin discuss the theories in a variety of situations very well, but they did have a tendency to focus on what was ultramodern at the time of the book's publication. These ideas are present in all forms of art and publication and I think they are important to consider when thinking about what a publication means, who it's audience is, and what it is trying to accomplish. These are all very important as parts of rhetoric and parts of communication.


2. What are the strengths of your project?

The strengths of my project are in its theoretical concept and in its future. By this I mean that I am not yet happy with what it has achieved, but still feel proud of what it represents as an idea and what it may grow into in the near future. I feel that the ideas that it represents are very important: spreading the creative process and discussion to new people and gathering individuals together as part of a community.


3. What will you do with your new knowledge?

With my new knowledge, I hope to keep doing what I've been doing, only perhaps more effectively. All of the theories that we have discussed in class can shape my communication habits. I have a new appreciation for "the little guy" in our national media, a new found understanding of how ideas change and adapt to different media, and also new insight into how good group decisions can be made. These ideas will come into play in my final year in MAPC when I write my thesis about the Obama Infomercial near the end of the last presidential election. I would be very interested in McChesney's thoughts on the infomercial as it expresses many of his same beliefs through a completely controlled message with no citizen input. I can also address the idea of remediation as the Infomercial is an adaptation of the traditional political commercial and an adaptation of a news magazine-style segment.