kiji Lev Manovich’s “The Language of New Media”: The Underlying Grammar of Digital Culture
Lev Manovich's The Language of New Media (2001) is the foundational text for digital culture. This analysis breaks down its 4 core concepts: 1) The five principles of new media (Numerical Representation, Modularity, Automation, Variability, Transcoding); 2) The tension between "database" and "narrative" logic; 3) The "cultural interface" as a designer of perception; 4) The "software-ization" of media, leading to post-photography. A key tool for understanding algorithms and platforms.