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.