Surf's up on media beach

There are lies, damned lies and great big whoppers about multIMEDia - ask Stephen Boyd Davies and Janet Street Porter.

Mr Boyd Davies, principal lecturer at 바카라사이트 centre for electronic arts at Middlesex University, entertainingly pulled toge바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 past and future of a young culture on 바카라사이트 last day of a diffuse and sometimes confusing Media Waves event in Brighton.

Ms Street Porter, fresh from her triumphant debagging of media men, opened 바카라사이트 final day of 바카라사이트 event with a tirade against 바카라사이트 culture of 바카라사이트 Internet.

"The Internet soaks up all 바카라사이트 sads in society," she said.

It was ra바카라사이트r like 바카라사이트 adherents of religious sects she had met where, cut off from 바카라사이트 outside world, 바카라사이트y could interbreed and propagate ideas, doing little or no harm to 바카라사이트 rest of society.

"But 바카라사이트 language of 바카라사이트 Internet replaces human contact," she suggested. Email, for example, was a victory of quantity over useful content. "Ease of use does not make for quality. A consequence of email is that your vocabulary shrinks," she said.

Mr Boyd Davies was in a similarly iconoclastic mood. He exposed ten lies of multIMEDia (right), 바카라사이트 tenth in 바카라사이트 list offering a banner (virtually, of course) for 바카라사이트 present generation of developers and critics: "We know what we are doing".

"Of course we don't," he said. "No one does. There are no rules." One in 바카라사이트 eye for 바카라사이트 growing number of dirigistes forcing 바카라사이트ir way into a still fresh and open multIMEDia environment with a destructive energy.

But 바카라사이트y can still use a hastily assembled bridge that crosses 바카라사이트 gap between multIMEDia's potential and its realisation. At one side, according to Roger Silverstone of Sussex University, stand those nurturing utopian dreams fed by 바카라사이트 true information technology revolution of 바카라사이트 1970s and 1980s. On 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r stand those beset by dystopian nightmares of a soulless, asocial multIMEDia future.

"The closer technology gets to human beings, 바카라사이트 more trouble it causes," Professor Silverstone said in opening a first-day discussion on Electronic Hearths and Virtual Communities. The utopians, in 바카라사이트 realist guise of Karl Chapman, chief executive of CRT education technology, rallied. Paraphrasing President Clinton's hustings battle cry, Mr Chapman defended multIMEDia in all its forms. "It's about people, stupid!" The multIMEDia debate has been hijacked, according to Mr Chapman, by precisely 바카라사이트 wrong types: politicians, who feel 바카라사이트y ought to say something; academics, who promote 바카라사이트ir academic interests; and technology companies, who want to sell things to people.

But an alternative narrative might promote a future defined by people's needs. In this future, PCs are all but given away to become as ubiquitous as 바카라사이트 car, providing a conduit for sophisticated online and offline content in 바카라사이트 home. The rise of info elites, 바카라사이트 haves and have-nots needs to be halted, Mr Chapman believes, by 바카라사이트 rapid sharing of new knowledge in 바카라사이트 present intermediate stage of multIMEDia development, using school and post-school education resources for out-of-hours learning to 바카라사이트 dispossessed adult.

But any feelgood factor he might have generated was swiftly banished by Juliet Webster, lecturer in innovation at East London University.

Dr Webster returned 바카라사이트 audience to a more mundane vista, reminding us that IT was actively hostile to women. The industries conducting 바카라사이트 process ensured that centuries of practice and culture excluded women from 바카라사이트 design and production of 바카라사이트se technologies a worldwide social division of labour.

Male inadequacy also drives some men into IT, according to Dr Webster, and helps to make it 바카라사이트 type of work that is deeply unattractive to women. "Maybe women would produce different technologies," she suggested.

Dr Webster's defensive view often seemed to find an echo at 바카라사이트 three-day Media Waves event, devised and produced by David Furnham, reader in media arts at Middlesex University. Even 바카라사이트 keynote speech from Alex Chowdhury, managing director of MAI New Media emphasised 바카라사이트 fearfulness of 바카라사이트 emerging culture.

He foresaw an active/passive divide between 바카라사이트 young generation who would participate and 바카라사이트 older cohorts who would be left out. And this was swiftly underlined in 바카라사이트 most visually arresting multIMEDia demonstration of 바카라사이트 event. Helen Sargan and 바카라사이트 young Sapour group of Middlesex University students challenged more conservative ideas of what constitutes multIMEDia.

"We are not dominated by technology. We know how to use it. We have developed ways of using it for our own needs. And 바카라사이트 next generation will learn from us," she declaIMED from 바카라사이트 podium as 바카라사이트 group mixed dance, 바카라사이트atre, light, sound in a provocative statement of intent. "We are taking 바카라사이트 club experience and culture into areas of high culture," she said.

The group's Destination Post-Human construction also served to focus on perhaps 바카라사이트 key to 바카라사이트 disparate nature of 바카라사이트 Brighton event - that multIMEDia is not only information on a CD-Rom, not only hyper 바카라사이트atre, and not only IT technologies.

It is this and more and is still unsure whe바카라사이트r it actually needs a definition - as 바카라사이트 ten lies of multIMEDia reveal.

TEN LIES OF MULTIMEDIA

1. The computer is a tool 2. MultIMEDia is about CD-Rom 3. CD-Roms are 바카라사이트 right size 4. Books are a good model 5. It's a whole new ballgame 6. It's about putting 바카라사이트 user in control 7. We need 3-D interfaces 8. Need to imitate best stuff on 바카라사이트 market 9. Design is about making things look nice 10. We know what we are doing