new media reader pp. 73-108

Chapters five through eight in the New Media Reader are organized chronologically, taking place in the early 1960s. What I found within this section is that each new media artist or innovator had an underlying theme of creating something democratic, something that brings us closer to equality and is free for anyone to use.

The first chapter is about J.D. Licklider's idea of computers as facilitating human interaction with speech and handwriting recognition, for more effective and efficient communication. Next, is "The Happenings," or arranged performance events which aim to gather people and artists and break down the performer/audience dichotomy. This is followed by Gysin's Cut-Up method, a form of artistic literary expression that points out, "anybody can make cut ups." The eighth and final chapter discusses Douglas Engelbart's creation of computer interfaces, which are designed to help the user understand how to use the computer and to operate all of its functions.

So although these creators of new media and technology are predicting a heavily technologized, computer-reliant society, their basic aims are on a purely societal level. Each author values the importance of the computer-user, their ability to use and understand the machine, and ultimately their ability to participate in a collective.