• Static (not moving, for ex. Photos)
• Fixed (not changeable, for ex. Gutenberg’s bible 1454/55)
• Linear (line going down)
• Unidirectional communication (one-way-communication)


Transitions from one medium to another took place gradually. Portraits became photographs. Still their production had a lot of similarities, both processes took place in a studio, so there was kind of a 'mirroring' happening, although new technology had arrived. According to Bruce Sterling, an American science fiction author, the dynamic between Old and New Media is constantly bouncing against each other.



• Fluid (potential to change)
• Malleable (shapeable, manipulated, moved)
• Simultaneous media (more in one)
• Accessable (access to libraries, internet etc.)
• A conversation as apposed to a monologue













Simultaneous media refers to the compatibility between illustration, graphic design, animation and visual effects according to Lev Manovich in his essay in 'Reading in the fields' (2008, p.132).

In fact, Ryan Hughes started a project in 2011, where dancers where photographed in 360 degrees by 48 cameras, while performing. Those pictures put together became motion.

















'Strata Nr. 3' by Quayola, where the fresco in the Sistine Chapel becomes interactive, is also an example for something fix, changing its shape.

New media these days refers to content accessible on-demand on any digital device. Jean-Baptiste Michel and Erez Liebermann Aiden analyzed the history of words in their Ted Talk 'What we learned form 5 million books'. More precisely, they examinated 5 million books in order to find out which were the global trends and which words were the most used in the last few centuries.

















In Tim Berners Lee Ted Talk 'Open Data Movement' in 2010, he demonstrates how a huge amount of data can give us insights into social patterns that map the world. In fact, he calls out to 'raw data now', meaning he wants governments, scientists, institutions to make their data openly available on the Web.




















In the video 'The Virtual Revolution' by BBC, Dr. Aleks Krotoski looks at how the World Wide Web is reshaping every aspect of our daily lives since 20 years. With Gutenberg’s bible changing the Western World dramatically, the consequences of the World Wide Web were uncertain. Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, sees his work as a connector between humans, which simplifies the distribution of information. Taking a look at the World’s most wired nation, South Korea, where 210,000 children suffer from Internet addiction, the negative effects of the World Wide Web are obvious: Children’s sense of reality is being distorted, their social lifes barely existing and their minds are constantly overloaded by information. Children are being remolded by the Web.

However, the Internet has also positive aspects, which are often being forgotten or repressed. For instance, the Web has attracted young people to politics more than ever. Additionally, it benefits young people’s education. Even though South Korea has the highest rate of web-addicted children, its children belong to one of the most educated ones as they learn to interact and work together in early stages of their life.

Taking everything into account, the World Wide Web and its social platforms have both advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it contributes to collective intelligence, on the other hand, it is proven that due to Internet access, governments have the power to spy on people, narcissism values increase and the desire of control rises. Nevertheless, this is not an end, but only a beginning. To sum up, the Web holds a mirror on humanity and reflects, who we are.





































In fact, the user there has the ability to actively participate in the creation of these sites, whether he’s a professional or not. As stressed by Dmitri Siegel (2006, p.116), 'the template mind hungers for customization and the opportunity to add their input'. This shift in designing products aggravates the risk of professional designers being marginalized. Not only is prosumerism changing the role of graphic design, but also of the music industry. Nevertheless, Siegel also considers the positive effects of prosumerism that have been underlined by futurists Alvin and Heidi Toffler. They believe that prosumerism will lead to 'increased freedom and autonomy'(2006, p.117).
But Siegel’s concerns of the role fo the designer being threatened by the growing number of prosumers is definitely not unjustified. The more our economy moves to a growing DIY society, the more graphic designers need to adapt their practices.
Although Dmitri Siegel’s essay seems pessimistic at first glance, it has actually an optimistic message: The more people have access to design, the more they understand that design needs professionals to be successful.

Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian philosopher and communication theorist, named the world 'global village' and is the author of the famous quote 'medium is the message'. According to McLuhan, 'all media work us over completely' and described our environment as being touched and pervaded by media in every aspect.

Print can be:

Digital can be:

Fluid and malleable digital products have structure as well as meaning and the author collaborates with the audience. As Lev Manovich, author of new media theory, illustrates in his essay 'The language of New Media' (1995), a new media object is 'not fixed once and for all, but is something that can exist in different infinite versions'.