Ulmer - Electronic Monuments Part Three

The third section of this book is certainly a lot to take in.  After reading the story of Bradley McGee, I looked at several online news articles, as well as several sites dedicated to the tragedy.  With regards to this story, it certainly seems like people have embraced the idea of a MEmorial.  There were dozens of sites that were designed for the sole purpose of making people aware of his passing and that Sheryl Coe currently had custody of another child.  If constructing a MEmorial is designed to form a type of collective intelligence to create awareness of national tragedies, shouldn't more people be aware of this?  Shouldn't this have played out differently?  After reading that and the stories after it, I found it difficult to focus on the concepts that Ulmer presented.  It may be because of the recent allegations associated with Penn State, and the fact that I have heard about that story repeatedly for over a week.  This is a very taboo and heated subject in our society, and reading so much about it is rather difficult.

I would have preferred a different example to use with his concepts, although this one definitely makes them stick.  The idea of everyone having two different identities was very interesting to me.  I like the relation he makes with gender and the emblems of the male and female on the doors of public bathrooms.  We are taught our entire life that gender and our sexuality should be kept private, although his breakdown of the fifth grader's trip is probably a little farther than I wanted to read into this separation.

I completely agree with Ulmer that we memorialize certain tragedies in our society but do not link others together.  I think the disdain for child abuse is universal, but I do wonder why it is not viewed in the same light as war casualties.  Child abuse isn't really a result of something we have created, so if anything it should be memorialized even more.  I don't think it can be classified as a sacrifice either, so comparing it with war may not necessarily be comparing apples to apples.

Ulmer first sentence of chapter 6 may be the most significant statement I have read so far in the book.  Transitioning from thinking to feeling the situation should be the source of constructing a MEmorial.  I think what he is referring to is what makes monuments, memorials, and any other image substantial.  Most of the powerful images I can think of that display some sort of tragedy stand out because of the feelings they generate.  In a way, Ulmer leads this thought by example.  When I first began reading chapter 5, I could feel the situation before I had even read anything external about it.  The way Ulmer described it and questioned the universal knowledge of the events in the text made me feel each of those stories.  I didn't enjoy reading them, which should be the point in a MEmorial to child abuse.

The idea of $incere was particularly interesting to me.  Ulmer used perfect examples to describe this term.  I think this term is a combination of sincere and what is politically correct, with financial incentive.  O.J. did

Ulmer - Electronic Monuments Part Two

After reading and discussing the first part of the book in class, I think a better approach to understanding Ulmer's text is to read it in sections, much like levels in a video game.  Writing down the coined terms he uses and looking for pieces of the definitions around them has helped me to grasp the ideas that he discusses.  I liked the explanation that Ulmer gives for EmerAgency.  I think it would have been a little better served earlier in the book, but he lists all the terms that are linked to it and what associations they have with the ideas he is conveying.

Reasoneon is the combination of neon and reason.  Ulmer takes Benjamin's concept of a neon sign and combines it with the reasoning behind a message to form this term.  Reasoneon can be applied as the approach people take when working through issues electrically, and is more of a rapid, image based type of reasoning.  Just like neon lights that run through the skyline in Las Vegas giving it an unmistakable feeling, reasoneon projects and emotional appeal that is designed to catch a netizen's attention.

Krzysztof Wodiczko's description of the homeless people in New York was very interesting to me.  After finishing undergrad, I lived in Charlotte for the better part of four years.  I have been able to see the city grow and develop into what it is, and I have been able to witness the exact occurrence that Wodiczko is describing.  During the development of a city, many different types of people settle into one area with no defined roles.  As the city gains notoriety and revenue, the architecture changes and the city begins to push out the people that are considered less successful.  As the real estate market continues to crash, you can see more and more Charlotte residents displaced from their homes and becoming the "architecture" that is actually more recognizable that the buildings themselves.

My image would have fun with her image.

Ulmer begins chapter four with the idea of all news being a part of the entertainment industry because every business is driven by profit.  Regardless of the message being conveyed, the writer and service must catch the attention of readers to remain relevant.  Ulmer relates the direction of media to a teacher that became a transsexual.  Just as the lines of gender are being blurred, so are the lines of electracy.  People don't have to accept what they are given now and are able to interpret different sources to form the role they want to.

He expands on this idea by relating the images that are given to celebrities.  Entertainment discourse gives celebrities an image that may or may not be accurate, citing Mariah Carey in particular.  In response to a tabloid portraying her, she was quoted as saying, "My image is having more fun that I am!"  This statement reminds me of Facebook and the way people construct their profiles.  While Mariah Carey had her image shaped for her, we are able to shape our own image and convey whatever message that we want to on our profile.  It is very easy to project a great, entertaining life on Facebook regardless of what you actually have going on.

Ulmer - Electronic Monuments Part One

Although I am not quite sure of some of the points that Ulmer makes in his book, I found many of his statements very interesting.  9/11 will always peak the interest of Americans, so I liked that Ulmer used this example as a springboard into some of the terms he describes.  I've never been a fan of coining terms (i.e. Al Gore, George W.), but in this particular instance I think it is necessary since he is discussing concepts and ideas that do not currently exist.

Florida Rushmore?

After reading the introduction, the text reminded me of when I met Paul Flemming, founder of P.F. Changs.  Between 2002 and 2008, Paul Flemming opened 110 restaurants, while the average publicly traded restaurant group actually closed locations.  His message in explaining this statistic was that it will always benefit people to be proactive rather than reactive.  This is similar to what I gathered from Ulmer when he addresses how we as a society have reacted to tragedies such as 9/11.  He describes America as an "idea," and tragedy gives us the opportunity to reflect on our values and possibly alter them.  

In the past, the media has essentially controlled the mourning of our nation because they construct the text and images that are presented to us.  As the internet has evolved, we are exposed to much more information, creating the needs for citizens to be self-informed.  The idea of a MEmorial is an electronic monument that would involve citizens (netizens), much like an ongoing town hall meeting.  This would provide a type of collective intelligence that would benefit democracy in general and create more of a unity between "self" and "nation."

I can certainly understand the idea of a MEmorial, and even the relation that it has with tourism.  The example of Mount Rushmore was a great example because it is a symbol of achievement rather than mourning.  However, I am not quite sure of the relationship it has with tourism in an electronic sense.  I read and re-read the proposal concerning Florida Rushmore.  It is a very interesting concept but I think that an electronic monument loses the critical feature of physical presence.  I really like the concept of forming a collective identity to solve social problems, but I don't see the relevance it has to an increase in tourism.  Each "tourist" having an opportunity to be a "living" monument is a great idea that I think would be very successful, and like Ulmer said adds functionality to the monument (46).

The Real Florida Rushmore?

The idea of an electronic monument definitely makes sense in reference to things that are generally overlooked or devalued.  Ulmer points this out with the idea of victims of car crashes, and presents some alarming statistics to support it (41,821 deaths in 2000).  I think that people place more value on lives that are lost in the pursuit to maintain our self interests (i.e. military), but not necessarily because of monuments associated with them.  Its interesting to compare the two because the military and the ability to drive and automobile both have assumed risks.  More value is assigned to the military or any other national tragedy because it is supporting the idea of America, and driving an automobile is a self interest that we are provided because of the freedom we have.