New Media Cultures~~

‘Information war is the use and management of information in pursuit of a competitive advantage over an opponent. It may involve collection of tactical information, assurance that one’s information is valid, spreading of propaganda or disinformation to demoralize the enemy and the public, undermining the quality of opposing force information and denial of information.’

Information war, also known as command control war, and decision-making control war, both of these use information as a major weapon, fighting against the enemy’s knowledge systems and information systems. Impact the determination of enemy to stop or change policy markers, as well as arising from the conduct of hostilities.

Traditionally, war has been fought for territory/economic gain. Information Wars are fought for the acquisition of territory indigenous to the Information Age, i.e. the human mind itself ... In particular; it is the faculty of the imagination that is under the direct threat of extinction from the onslaughts of multi-media overload. As a culture sophisticates, it deepens its reliance on its images, icons and symbols as a way of defining itself and communicating with other cultures. As the accumulating mix of a culture's images floats around in its collective psyche, certain isomorphic icons coalesce to produce and to project an "illusion" of reality. "I can take their images for reality because I believe in the reality of their images (their image of reality)." The conditions of total saturation are slowly being realized - a creeping paralysis - from the trivialization of special/technical knowledge to the specialization of trivia. The information war is a war we cannot afford to lose. The result is unimaginable.

So, what is the form of information war in the 21 century? The information war has digital units, digital battlefield, non-linear operations, full-dimensional operations, three-dimensional space operations, etc… The focus of military revolution is information war; in fact, it is the war changes from mechanized to information. We often notice that the information war is a war without smoke of gunpowder.

Information war has greatly facilitated the progress and development with the technology of intelligence gathering. At present, the Western counties already have spy planes and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft which carrying the camera is used to detect enemy ground. Thousands and millions of mirco-seneors are placed on the ground secretly. An aircraft, the name of Globle Hawk RQ-4, which is made by US, it can ‘smell’ the position of enemy; can input the chemical agent in enemy’s food; flying over the biosensor which based on the enemy’s head to track the location of them.

Information war can be carried out before the armed conflict, thus avoiding the bloodshed in war. For example, computer viruses can be implanted into the enemy system that will be used by army, all aspects of weapons seem to be normal, but the warhead will not explode.

Information war also can be used computer to destroy the enemy’s air traffic control, communication systems and the financial systems. It will bring confusion to the civilian in their daily life. It was predicted that "wars may be a painless, computer-operated electronic games in the future."

For a certain extent, David Cronenberg can be seen the most radical and successful director, as the tool of rational reflection on human alienation. He directed by ‘videodrome’ in 1983 can be regarded as a masterpiece. The director’s intention is that the reflection of dissemination of the symbols in virtual world.

First of all, as a disseminator of pornography and violence video, Max is some kinds of functional stimulation in the rational society. He acts the age of mechanical reproduction to create the role of shock, which is a point to the entertainment and sentimental pleasure. This is the theory of sensual stimulus constantly growing wake of the main objective. Secondly, the protagonist for the Eastern culture has a fascination within the film in three such hints: erotic movie of Japan, Malaysia’s television signals, the Indian dance in restaurant. This is because for the rational Western World, the mysterious oriental contains more emotional things. In this sense, the East of post-modern society not only bit farewell to the West’s past, but also will be the future of human society.

Max indulge the video and come into illusion, he is unable to distinguish clearly between reality and illusion. This is we called virtual reality, which is a panoramic view is joined by sensor motor exploration of an image space that gives the impression of a ‘living’ environment. In a virtual space, the parameters of time and space can be modified at will, allowing the space to be used for modeling and experiment. Images of the natural world are merged with artificial images in ‘mixed realities,’ where it is often impossible to distinguish between original and simulacrum.

The intention of the director is that the human being has gone through three phases: imitation, copy, and simulation. Among the reality, symbol, and human being, imitation is the incomplete description of reality, copy is the mechanical imitation to reality, and the simulation, and it is the symbol of the copy. After these three evolvement, in the simulation world, people are poorly demarcated what is reality, what is the symbols of imitation.

People throughout the day with television as partners, in their view, television is the reality, and more extreme, sometimes it is called hyper-realistic, which is more real than reality in the symbol world. The screen is part of the fabric of our minds, thus, no matter what contents of television screen appear to the public, it is still the original experience. Therefore, TV is the reality, or we should say that the reality is not as good as TV.

As the information of manufacturer, if they control the symbols of simulacra, they will control the real world. Simulations of power struggles will evolutes the cultural capital, economic capital, as well as the reality competition for all.

Here, Max, we can call him the whole humanity, fall into a paradox. They would like to use sensual stimulus of media information to against a rational world and get freedom. However, eventually fall into a simulation of power struggle in which total loss of self. Max shoot himself at the end of film.

‘Truth dead in the film invention’. When we hypnosis by the media, we have become a part of illusion. The existence of life is that it's the world, lies in the description of others. We were controlled by invisible power, do not have self-dominated future.

With the rapid development of technology, new media has been drawn attention by more and more people. About the defition of new media, the previous researchers give different opinions and there is no last word in the world: the new media is the globalization of communication; new media relies on the new technology and the new technology technology is not all "new". So, the new media is regarded as 'transmutation and creative of technology'.

What is actual new media? The research will use the especial way which is rule out of the law and reducation to absurdity to describe that.

New media is not complete new and emerging media.
Usually we will be known the Internet and mobile phones as forth and fifth media. However, in accordance with the emergence of new media forms whether old or new is too extensive. Follow by this logic, the third media (television) is not the mew media. How about the pay TV and Reality TV? They are regarded as the main forces of the new media.

New technology is not only support to new media.
What does it means? New technology brings new application. For example, Broadcasting as a second media, the digital technology has brought the development of digital broadcasting. Is that the new media? Obviously not, digital broadcasting only be applied to new technology, but its form still remains with traditional media.

The network is often regarded as new media (including the internet, Web 2.0). That is, a complete and effective dissemination of information which is dependents on completion of new medium, then that will be the new media. Do you know LCD newspaper? It is new medium, but the format belongs to traditional newspaper. Is that in terms of contradiction? Technology and the medium has a certain internal relations, both of these two points can be attributed to the effects of techology. The technical evolution will bring the emergence of new media.

The definiton of new media should refers to the following elements: propagators, audience feedback and public opinion. New media blur to the boundaries of communicators and audiences. Each participant is both communicator and disseminator. The spread of new media is the cycle of interaction among participants. Although these factors are caused by technological innovations, the new media is not technology-oriented industry. In the future, new media should be mulripe . There is a proveb on the internet: Nobody knows you are a dog on internet. Maybe we can use the words of 'public and private media' to refer te current concept of 'new media' in the future.

It's time for my New Year's resolutions. During the summer holiday in 2008, I went back to China, got intership from Nanjing TV Station. That was my first formal job in my life. And, you know what? I did the same area as my major--media. As a fresh hand, the senior allocated some interesting tasks to me: compose agons for television drama; Have an interview with pothunters who attend the singing compete and write a rough draft for those people; Sometimes make a first cover design for an advertising. I was busy in that period of time for hard work, but I truely enjoyed that. Moreover, I made some new friends in my class in UK and knew a bit more about my old friends. I treasure these friendships and understand this is very important in my life. In the end of this year, I faced some difficulties I've never meet before and conquered them.

2008 is also really special to the world. On a happier note, China also hosted its first Olympic games this summer in Beijing. It was a very successful games with an amazing opening ceremony and a staggering 43 new world records and 132 new Olympic records set. On the other hand, the worst earthquake happened in China in May. The Great Sichuan Earthquake registered 8 on the Richter scale and killed or missing around 100,000 people.

In British, 2008 will be remembered by the British people as a year of economic crisis. Things have steadily worsened as the year has gone on with companies going into administration, job losses, falling house prices and the collapse of banking institutions.

In the beginning of new year, I'd love to thank my friends that are always there for me. And I hope every good things will come in 2009.

Pray for everyone!!

P.S: The picture which I worked in NANJING have been put into the media album.

At the blink of eye, I have grown into a 24-year-old girl. I can still remember my first day school clearly as it was just yesterday, and all of sudden, it's time for me to graduate and to become a real adult.

"Follow your own path no matter what others say." used to be a popular saying among young people. I used to believe that and took the consequences in the end. In fact, following one's own heart at will in making decisions is a very casual and immature movement. It is true that people cannot avoid making mistakes all the time, but we should try our best to do right things. And I believe thinking over the opinions from people who care about you will be a wiser choice in the first place.