Earlier, I defined media theory as "The study of how information is transferred between people* or groups of people*." Now it is time for me to address that asterisk. On a surface level, this definition seems unnecessarily complicated, particularly with regard to the use of the term information. I have defined information as that which means something, and that which means something and originates within the human mind is called an idea. So, why not just use the term idea? It has a strong colloquial understanding and would make the definition overall less clunky.
Well, here is my answer. It seems to me that not everything a medium transfers has its origin in a human mind. I propose that, in most cases, there is some portion of the information transferred by a piece of media that was not originally conceived of by the human creator of that work, let alone that some pieces of media have no human creator whatsoever. This mainly comes into play when a piece of art, or a piece of media in general, transfers some obvious bit of information, usually through implication, that its author did not intend, though it can be more fundamental than even this. Let us imagine the smudging of paint on a canvas caused by a light rain, or the tracks left by an animal in wet mud left to dry. How about the pixelization emergent in a photograph after it has been shared and downgraded over the internet a hundred times over? If we are to be realistic, then we must understand that all of these things can transfer information of some form or another; and yet, human beings had no direct part in their emergence.
One may make the convincing argument, however, that these things carry no meaning, and that it is a receiving human being's interpretation of them that does so. This is, in part, a correct observation. Information is that which means something, but to whom? Without an interpreter, information is, in effect, meaningless. Except that this is only a half truth. Yes, the interpreter of a piece of media is the creator of its meaning, but there must still be present something for the interpreter to interpret in the first place. It is with this more complex understanding that I would like to propose three new, more nuanced definitions: one for information, one for media theory, and one for art. These are provided below:
Now our definitions seem a bit more nuanced, and allow some extra room for more, let's say, experimental readings. You might argue now that, in the creation of these new definitions, I have actually conflated art and media in general, forcing the interpretation that all media is art. I would respond that if one attempts to glean interpretations from my definitions in the same way one would extract multiple readings from a poem, then perhaps they might be able to find the wiggle room they seek. A given piece of art should not be understood to say one thing and one thing only after all, so why should the definition of art be any different?
Part 3: A Message from the Medium
Trunks by Will Bortin
Why is this information being presented in this specific medium? For efficiency? For aesthetic? For additional meaning?
Could the information be presented a different way? If it was, what about it would change?
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What kind of media do I consume? What effects does this have on me?
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The inverse is of course true for when you are producing information, which we all do:
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Why am I choosing to present this information this way? Could it be presented a different way? Would it fit my goal better if I did so? Are there any exclusionary or otherwise negative ramifications which might occur if I choose this medium rather than another?
Conclusion. by Will Bortin
Before you move on, either to another page or to the next part of your life, I would like to give an important message. Here I have not tried to say anything definitive; I do not wish to provide THE definition for media theory, information, art, or for anything else. Rather, my aim in all of this has been to urge a certain kind of viewpoint, and to give a framework for that viewpoint, when it comes to the way you interact with media, however you choose to define it. When you are consuming information, I want you to think about key questions:
On the surface, it may seem like the type of media used to convey information is a relatively benign concern, but this is simply not the case. If you wish, you can visit this page of the site, if you haven't already, which discusses the some of the more social aspects of media theory and highlights some artists who have used the lessons learned from media theory to change the world for the better.
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