I have read Bolter and Grusin's "Remediation" in one of my previous classes and it is a very relevant text that I enjoy reading. The term 'remediation' has started to pop often recently given the transformation of old media and the creation of new ones. Some say that remediation seeks to erase older media but I disagree with that belief. I believe remediation allows older material that was made in older media to be made relevant in culture. One goal of transferring content to a newer medium is improvement. But improvement does not have to mean replacement. In fact, remediation is something that should be accepted as well as something that does not have the purpose of erasing older media.
Bolter and Grusin discuss a term known as 'repurposing', which is essentially where "the content has been borrowed, but the medium has not been appropriated" (Bolter & Grusin 14). A perfect example of repurposing would be The Great Gatsby. The latest movie is an adaptation of the original novel, which borrows material directly from the older medium of the novel. Printed words on the page are being transferred to film on the screen. I do not think this form of repurposing is taking anything away from the original novel. While it may change some original content, the overall message remains the same and it is told through a different lens (medium).
Remediation requires older media to remain in existence. Bolter and Grusin say, "The very act of remediation, however, ensures that the older medium cannot be entirely effaced" (Bolter & Grusin 15). While newer media may try to take the content as transparent as possible, older media will always serve as reference points. I think the concept of remediation can be applied to other areas of life, like sports. Football has been implementing a lot of new rules lately but no matter how many changes are made, the roots of the sport will never change. But it is debatable whether these rules do or do not in fact water down or degrade the sport.
So why is remediation a good thing and why should we accept it? I like to think of this concept as remembering old memories but the memories are made more vivid. Remediation allows us to adapt to our ever-changing media but still hold on to the old content and media. Also, repurposing content can open it up to broader audiences. For people who don't like to read books, they can watch the film adaptation. With a broader audience, the content becomes more popular and more involved in culture. Unless you are a hipster, I do not see why this is a bad thing.
Works Cited
Bolter, Jay David and Richard Grusin. "Remediation." Configurations 4.3 (1996): 311-358.
This blog I will worn is a rant dealing with my previous experiences with Bolter and Grusin and that dreadful thing, remediation (not really dreadful). Although some may not have had the same experience I did with remediation- I would like to still endeavor with this blog.
ReplyDeleteWithin the contexts of remediation there can be a sense that everything a person does will never be original. As Bolter and Grusin state "the very fact of remediation, however, ensures that the older medium cannot be entirely effaced [because the] new medium remains dependent on the older one" (Bolter & Grusin). This goes back to the fallacies that were obtained with rhetorical velocity, that rhetorical velocity equals a remix, which in fact it does not. Remediation according to Bolter and Grusin does not reject originality.
With the example of Jane Austin novels being remediated into films there is the sense that the film cannot reject the fact that it is a remediation of the novel. Although the film may try to, "conceal its relationship to earlier media" (Bolter & Grusin), there is the fact that the story was originally from a book. However, it does not mean that the film itself is not an original piece of art. It is like saying that an art student who does a perfect rendition of Monet's View of Vétheuil on a graphic interface is still not a piece of art. The student has to design Monet's original art piece and take it from canvas and put is onto the screen, and not by taking a picture of the painting and uploading the picture onto the computer, but step by step repainting the Monet's work with graphic interface tools.
The remediation of one medium into another may not be able to hide the fact that it is a remediation of another medium, but there are still things that one medium can do that other mediums cannot do. That is one reason why there is remediation, so something else can take place. Bolter and Grusin do not try hinder originality of another medium, but want to state that it is impossible to get rid of a former medium from a medium that is has been influenced by another .
It is my endeavor to encourage people to be original and not to give up hope even if you do believe that everything is a remediation of something. You are an individual who has your own set of abilities, gifts, and tools. You are made individually and for something great! If you remediate something it does not mean that what you do is not original, it just means that you are adapting something into your own original idea. Keep on being original!
Thank You For Reading.
Bolter and Grusin Link
http://lmc.gatech.edu/~objork3/1101/fall07/remediation.pdf