Week 1: Lecture Summary

Hi there goldcoasters, acoverdale updating you on New Com Tech 09 - from the inside.
til next week,
XOXO
acoverdale.

After quick introductions, a search for permanent markers and an apology for spelling abilities, Josh Nicholas got started on what turned out to be a very interesting lecture. We disscussed in detail the following:

• Considering New Media - new technologies such as the computer, mobile phone and internet (email, message boards, IM, twitter, blogging, social networking sites and youtube, which tied in nicely with the first reading of cociane jesus) and old technologies such as oral, written letters and morse code were decided upon as vital for communication, especially the development of communication through time.
• What is 'Communication'? - Josh defined communication as any process that transfers, transmits or makes information known to other people, an example of this is the speaker produces a message that is heard by the listener. He then explained that there are two types of communication, or rather two channels by which the one term communication can operate through. These are: 1. intersubjectivity (the listener interprets the message and changes it as they send it along) 2. intertextuality (no message is ever complete and any message gains meaning through context and culture)
• What is 'Technology'? - Technology as defined by Josh in the lecture is the scientific study of mechanical arts and their application to the world. Marshall McLuhan argues that technologies are extensions of the human body - a tool is and extension of the hand, a wheel is an extension of the leg and and book is the extension of the eye. It is hard to define such as broad term and therefore throughout this blog there will be many definitions.
• Contours of the communication disclipline - There has been a mass explosion of broadcast media forms and from that many studies and new technologies have developed. These include: communication studies, media studies, cultural studies, journalism, public relations, advertising, marketing, design, new media studies, cyber studies, internet studies, cyberculture studies and web studies.

"This sprawling, brawling mass of disciplines and pseudo-disciplines is what the academic study of Communication has come to".

The suggested readings were helpful and interesting (none of the semi-colons and sentence structures from the compulsory subject last semester).
I enjoyed cocaine jesus (youtube clip), it highlighted what undercover people risks in their professions!
And Babel, thankyou to whoever had nothing better to do than compile that list! (def keeping it close - did you know the difference between block check character and blind carbon copy? a colon! oh dear last semester is coming back)
and finally the American Communication Journal is going to be a lifesaver when it comes to the essay.

'til next week,

XOXO
acoverdale