Summary #2 - "Theory and Practice in New Media Studies" Jay David Bolter

The second piece of literature I found was a paper by Jay David Bolter titled "Theory and Practice in New Media Studies." I found this paper to very academic in nature, and, at times, difficult to follow. However, I was able to gather the following:

In his paper, Bolter discusses in great detail the different theoretical perspectives applied when it comes to studying New Media. First, he discusses the formal theories, particularly those of Walter Ong and Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan claimed that media were "extensions of man," and Ong suggested that "writing restructures conciousness." However, these two were regarded with "suspicion." He goes on to mention the poststructuralists. Bolter states that their goal was "...to examine the formal limits of language and writing, often through close reading of the text or through a careful analysis of the practice of reading." In the 1990's hypertext critics often applied the poststructuralist perspective.

The second form of theory Bolter discusses is the Ideological Critique. These theories are often applied to "magazines, newspapers, radio, film, and television..." and "...seek to expose and explore the ideological frameworks that control media..." They believe that mass media is controlled by those most in control of the economy, and it is their job to expose that control to the public.

He also goes on to discuss the teaching of these theories as well as their practice in American Universities. Finally, he discusses the correlation between New Media and Print.