blog 5

I find Manovich’s description of how computers evolved into a “new engine” of culture from being invisible similar to the way attending college is evolving into a cultural necessity. I interpreted the reading as at first no one had a need or even a use for a computer mainly because the software was not yet available or updated. Over time the computer started having applications and purposes that consumers wanted however there wasn’t an immediate necessity for this technology. Now the computer is needed for many processes such as communication, researching information, maintaining databases and other applications used on computers are needed for jobs and school. I feel we have created this cultural necessity for computers because we have incorporated it into our everyday lives.

The inventors of computational media are Ivan Sutherland, Douglas Englebardt, Ted Nelson and Alan Kay and other people that worked closely with them to build the foundation. I look at the development of computational media as a building block. This group of people founded the base of the computational media. Their collaboration of ideas created the foundation and because of their resources available they created it with what they had to work with. This allows other people that follow to actually create software and more useful technology on top of their foundation. These creators go unnoticed because of how it evolved into something different. They just helped create the body work and allowed for new and more innovative ideas to be created.

Between the 1960s and 1980s the inventions created spawned an experimental, unfixed and democratic visual culture by continually evolving, and creating software that forced us to incorporate into our lives. We have formed a lot of our communication around the evolution of computers and technology. The advancements made in technology have helped us save time and become more efficient. The changes in technology force us as a consumer to conform to the thought that we have to have it to function. By continually making advancements in technology it keeps us involved and we keep making changes along with the upgrades that a released to us.