Manovich - unconscious consumers

I wanted to add to my original post this week because I have been giving further thought to this week's Manovich's chapter. I have been an unconscious consumer, because in 1994 when we purchased our first home computer, ($500.00 from a friend who was upgrading.. I think it was a Dell), I gave little thought to where it came from and how it had been developed. In the years since, I continually upgraded without much understanding or thought about what was going on in the computer industry, just knowing I wanted more.

Learning about the timeline of the history of media from the earliest concepts and how they worked, how they were improved upon and what will continue to evolve, really opened my eyes and understanding to this amazing process. I have a greater respect for the genius and creative powers behind it, and can no longer take it for granted. Man has been an incredible force for anticipating needs, finding ways to invent in and continually improve, and that it is amazing. From the loom to cinema to the daguerreotype, Zuse's punching movie film tape to create computer programs, synthesizing images, programming numbers, transferring to binary code, it is all just extremely incredible, especially to those of us who are not engineer minded.

I am starting to understand why Manovich feels compelled to understand and define this process and I think this would also be great information for all students to know as well. I feel more enlightened and aware as a member of this technology society and more understanding of what I am using and where it came from. Even though we may not understand it all, we are so connected with technology that is makes sense that we should not be so disconnected from understanding where it came from and where it can go. I think it is empowering to know this and can lead students to search out and build knowledge in other areas that they may think in unavailable to them.