31 October 2015

Uncertainty Producing the Unlikely in New Media

To what extent does new media content develop by itself. That is, content development comes as a byproduct of the act of producing it. What I mean here is that it may come down to an algorithmic process, that is to keep producing. It may be key to the nature of the content as a product, as something closer to a functional device, rather than a collection of words and expression. That functionality emerges though from the content.

But what kind of function, perhaps a different function from function as it is usually considered. It does not do anything in and of itself, there are no actions to be taken on it to make it do something. But nonetheless as honed ideas, as words made into continuing strands of development, it may create a kind of functionality, that happens in a more extended, discrete kind of way. That is, the expression becomes useful to tackle more extended, less specific needs of utility.

So new media comes back to functional aims of media, to do something, to make something happen, to create feeling or stimulate ideas, by bringing expression to an audience, but may do it in a more effective, finer grained way. That is, it has more potential to effect action. But it may actually be more suited to the stimulation of ideas, and the expression of ideas.

This suggests that new media content needs to have a finer grain to be more effective, rather than being more like a clear, simple message. So how does this affect marketing. Well, if it is possible for marketing material with an intention of having an effect to be fine grain, then it may be that such material may also be effective. However this is a rather complex area, as messages need to be clear. It is rather that, new media may provide ways to express a clear message in a fine granularity.

Underlying marketing efforts in new media, seems to be a deep uncertainty, seemingly alleviated by measurement. But does that uncertainty ever dissipate. But is it supposed to. The power of this medium, is that uncertainty, which may be part of the production of remarkable results. It is like each point of contact with the medium of content, can provide multiple outcomes, in some circumstances. That uncertainty may produce the unlikely, which is then measured.

But marketing material can be seen as material which may potentially not engage into the medium, as it seeks to bring its message through it. So the task is to get it to engage. But with the limitation that such material needs to be discrete, away from the content of the medium. I suspect more than delivery is needed, rather it is a necessity to ground the material into the medium in some manner, which maintaining its separateness. That is where the fine granularity may be, in this case. But that again is perhaps really about delivery, but a kind of delivery which coheres with uncertainty.