Lev Manovich provides a breakdown of the basic principles of new media into five subsections. He provides an orderly dissection of principles starting with numerical representation, followed by combining with modularity leads to the principle of automation, variability, and finally the last, and most substantial principle, transcoding. The first classification is the principle of numerical representation in which he defines all new media as having a digital code and association with algorithms. The second principle, modularity, is outlined as units that can be combined but have their stand-alone identity. The combination of the first and second principles leads to automation through the use of digital codes and modularity which is seen in the creation process of programs or applications. These programs and applications become increasingly automated and bypass human laborious redundancy. The fourth principle, variability, builds on the first and second principles and is then supported by automation. Variability propels new media through the use of digital data that can be manipulated into infinite variations of forms of media. For example, example films such as Star Wars have evolved into TV shows, toys, and games. Manovich identifies the last principle of transcoding as the most influential on traditional culture. The Impacts of ongoing advancements in computerization are significant across people and regions. The various forms and types of media and the pace at which they can be automated and disseminated allow for a far-reaching cultural response. These principles that Manovich has reinterpreted by students and scholars such as Micayla Mirabella in her YouTube video “5 Principles of New Media Video Essay” which is below and Vania Jennica in her article “Principles of New Media”
The framework of how Manovich explains the automation principle made an interesting connection with factories and media programs being designed to reduce human laborious redundancy. For example, the software voice-to-text uses sounds that a person says and then translates those sounds into a form of readable language without the need to type each word out by hand. In practice, improving the quality, speed, and effectiveness of technologies or software based on the mainstream should be beneficial for everyone. Supported in the article “Text-to-Voice and Voice-to-Text Software Systems and Students with Disabilities: A Research Synthesis” by Mauro Coccoli, Angela Guercio, Paolo Maresca c, Lidia Stanganelli highlights the advantages of voice-to-text software for individuals who has a disability in education. However, from the perspective of a person who has a disability and a speech impairment, it is difficult to see software like voice-to-text continue to have updates and support since voice-to-text software is unusable if a person has a speech impairment.
