http://www.ubu.com/sound/saroyan.html (first recording)

I chose this particular audio recording of a man repeating ‘crickets’ since it touches upon several significant details that pertain to the reading. Luigi Russolo, author of “The Art of Noise,” explains that “comparing these noise sounds to other sounds they will realize how
the latter are more varied than the former…the comprehension, the taste, and
the passion for noises will be developed” (12). This point especially relates to this audio recording; the predictable cadence of the word ‘crickets’ appears to be a far less intriguing aspect compared to  the subtle crackles in the background, the telephone-voice effect, and the scratching noise after the word ‘crickets’. These little details give the recording ‘life’. The extra noise that one would normally not give much attention to gives this simple recording some depth–some layers to investigate and probe upon.  Russolo also says there is “infinitely more pleasure imagining combinations of the sounds of trolleys, autos and other vehicles, and loud crowds, than listening once more, for instance, to the heroic or pastoral symphonies” due to the confined nature of conventional musical sounds (6). Such sounds, in essence, are preset with no level of variability. They are controlled, even if they can produce various degrees of harmony when fused together, and yet, this restricted sense of harmony is what societies all around the world are familiar and comfortable with. This specific recording of a man repeating crickets is likely more compelling than a Beethoven piece to him. As such, Russolo suggests that people should break free from this complacent notion to truly discover how the fleeting, mysterious yet natural noises in our everyday live as an art form.

I agree that the everyday noises that we may deem as overwhelming and non-traditionally artistic should be viewed through a different lens, and possibly even celebrated. The crackles and buzzing sounds in this particular audio recording expand on the idea that art through noise today can be more. We tend to overlook these noises as just sensory overload when they are actually so wonderfully organic and pure. Such auditory experiences can become anything if we were to listen to them with a more discerning mind, and that, in itself, is quite a remarkable quality that should not be ignored.

In McLuhan’s “The Medium is the Massage,” the passage about “the others” illustrates how inseparably interconnected the world is. He describes how the electrical information environment, referring to the worldwide web, particularly helps underrepresented groups receive more exposure than before. This claim makes sense since the internet is widely accessible to almost everyone across the globe now, and thus, the stream of information reaches to more than just one select audience. The web is a powerful place to seek support, and as such, minority groups can have their voices heard. However, just as easily, the effects of globalization can bring a certain increased level of homogeneity. Consequently, dominant customs, cultures, and discourse have the ability to overshadow their minority counterparts despite the web’s being a free space for everyone to be a part of. Nonetheless, we are in an era of digital globalization. As McLuhan says, “too many people know too much about each other.” The boundaries of communication are no longer confined to the people physically around us; the rest of the world is no longer just “the others” but rather people that we have intimate relationships with and have limitless knowledge of, due to the help of the web as a medium.

Inextricably, everyone in this present world also shares a form of global responsibility in keeping the earth a viable place to live in and for one another, as co-existing living beings. The earth has been touched and changed by us, both positively and negatively, but there is so much more to do in terms of sustainability. Every person, in every country, and every continent is accountable for the damage on this planet, whether big or small, and it is our social duty–as a community–to enforce real, tangible measures to improve the current environmental situation. Moreover, we cannot remain complacent to issues that threaten our fellow people, pretending as if all problems will solve or die on their own. It is not “we” and the “others” but we, as the human race. I firmly believe that to live on this planet is to care and strive for the betterment of our natural environment and all of our people.

In the context of Manovich’s “Principles of New Media,” the principle of variability is particularly worthy to discuss. Variability, as defined by Manovich, involves a new media object’s inclination to give rise to a multitude of fairly unique versions although they all originate or have some fundamental association to the primary source (36). For example, of the specific examples that showcase this principle, hypermedia demonstrates variability at its core. On the world wide web, it is just as simple to link a YouTube music video as it is to link a gif of a meme; there exists the endless possibilities in which the user can gain access to. Thinking back on all of my internet browsing experiences thus far, I now realize how the simple act of clicking a link to get to the destination that I want to be involves carefully thought-out decisions. It all depends on what the specific hyperlink is assembled to direct the user to—at a particular time and for a specific purpose. In essence, hypermedia interconnects multimedia components in one fluid platform while modularity—a principle that exists next to variability—still makes it feasible for the components to maintain their individual separate qualities.

This notion of maintaining individual qualities, even while being part of a more complex entity, also extends to the broader context of social reality. As Manovich indicates, “every citizen can construct her own custom lifestyle and “select” her ideology from a…number of choices” (42). For the most part, an average person has the capacity to decide what he or she wants to do at his or her own discrepancy. The concept of a society all abiding to one conforming decision is likely to be unheard of, at this present moment in time. Online shopping, for example, provides the user with a vast abundance of choices to pick and choose from, and using analytics, these websites track every movement to best tailor the sites all according to the user. Evidently, variability is essential to the progress and future of new media. It will undeniably shape how new media is received, on a technical level, but it will also shape how people respond to the constant changes happening before them.