course reading : McLuhan and Williams

Reading from Martin Lister, Jon Dovey, Seth Giddings, Iain Grant, Kieran Kelly. (2003) New Media: A Critical Introduction. London: Routledge

Chapter 1: ‘New Media & New Technologies’
Part 6: New Media: Determining or Determined

Quote:
Whether or not a media technology has the power to transform a culture

Summary:
Marshall McLuhan – Media shapes society
Raymond Williams – Technology is appropriated by society.

In terms of this project, I need to consider whether web 2.0 has shaped a new craft movement, or whether web 2.0 allows a continuation of traditional crafts communities, albeit in an online environment. I believe that it is probably doing both.

Web 2.0 has also made crafts more visible, linking people who craft and imbuing crafts with a sense of being ‘cool’.