The New Media

I have previously mentioned podcasts and it has been a while since I have really talked about the new media formats that the World Wide Web has started to bring to the forefront as new media. I still only listen to about five podcasts, but I have been looking to increase that number. If anyone has found a recommendation or two, I'd love to hear it, but I fear most of you, my dear dear friends are not computer savvy enough to just randomly search around for the content and those of you that are savvy are unlikely to be interested. That's life, but I am ever hopeful that I can drag one of you kicking and screaming into the new millennium.

Anyway, I downloaded my first podiobook today. A podiobook is basically a book or serial that an author reads and releases as .mp3 files. Basically, it is an audiobook, but without the cassette tapes and CDs involved. Not that it couldn't be converted to a CD easy enough. I cannot testify to how professionally done these things are since they are most likely to be read by the author on whatever equipment they have available, but I suspect the better ones are fine in that regard. I will let everyone know what my experiences are.

I also downloaded my first videocast. It was a video show that apparently has done so well that it is going to appear on a real TV channel in the near future. For this reason, I figured it was likely to be of reasonably high quality, or at least one of the best choices for checking out the new video media. For those that are interested, it is called "Stranger Things" and can be found on the web at http://strangerthings.tv. As with the podiobook, I will let everyone know what my experiences are with them. Hopefully, I'll get to them this weekend.

The nice thing about these works is that they are truly artistic endeavors. They are created because everyone wants to work on them for sake of making an interesting show. The worst thing about Hollywood, television, and the music recording industry is that they are businesses. In a way, it is also the best thing. Obviously, they apply the best effects and equipment resulting in a finely crafted and sharp looking or sounding product. Alas, much of the artistic pizzazz is lacking in terms of originality. Because they approach their art as a business, they often have to sacrifice originality in an effort to make their work more marketable.

Thus, in the music industry we are forced to listen to stylized clones singing music that has been boiled down to its lowest common denominator. Music that's fast-fooded through the airwaves for us to ingest without regard for it's lack of nutritional, i.e. creative value. Similarly, the movie industry provides us with the same rehashed content. Everything that could be deemed "edgy" is smoothed over into a more pleasant PG-13 package. Watching movies is now something people do to waste time rather than to create a sense of enjoyment or wonder.

Having not seen any videocasts, I know they cannot promise me a wonderfully polished viewing experience with glamorous computerized special effects, but I can at the very least, be assured that I am getting an original creative experience unencumbered with the desire to appeal to a mass audience for the sole purpose of turning a quick buck. I am looking forward to the novel experience.