The first principle that defines a media as “new media” is that it has a numerical representation. Think of it as a DNA for the media, but instead of adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine, we have pixels, 1s and 0s, etc. In layman’s term, a new media object can be described mathematically. (Manovich 27) Since new media is based on some mathematical algorithm, we can automatically manipulate them with a simple click of a button. Manovich describes old media as a continuous data, while new media as a discrete data. This means that old media has no indivisible units that can be modified or altered to produce something new on the fly.
The second principle is Modularity. New media object can be used as a part of a larger object but still keep its identity. A good example is a video uploaded on a website. The website and video are two separate objects even when combined but now you have a choice to access that video through the website.
The third principle is automation. One advantages of new media is that it lets the user work on things faster than they would have if they do things manually. New media can be automatically multiplied, edited, etc. based on the user’s desires. The computer does most of the heavy-lifting so the user can focus on the creative side and since a computer is heavily involved, the third principle would not be possible without the first two.
The fourth principle is variability. Variability exists in new media objects because of the previous principles stated. New media can exists in different ways because it is easily modified, replicated or automated. Old media, on the other hand, is fixed. Once it is made, any changes to it will result in a totally different material but will also result in the destruction of the original.
The fifth principle is transcoding. Transcoding is simply the translation from the “cultural layer”(the media we can perceive) to the “computer layer” where the computer is able to read it. New media object is basically a combination of 1s & 0s because that’s the language the computer can read. The computer can not understand our language without some sort of translation from a programmer through a series of code. In short, new media is a combination of technology and our creative minds.