The transmedial aspect of cultural autocommunication
Date
2015-04-20
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Väitekirja keskmes on nähtus, mida seostatakse eelkõige kaasaegse meediakultuuri innovaatiliste võtetega, kuid mis avatakse põhiolemuselt väga vana kultuurimehhanismina. Selleks nähtuseks on transmeedia, mida teinekord nimetatakse ka ristmeediaks. Transmeediast räägitakse olukorras, kus üks tekst (lugu) eksisteerib korraga kahes või enamas meediakanalis. Üheks hiljutiseks kohalikuks näiteks on “Nullpunkti” (2014) maailm, mis laotub laiali noorteromaanis, filmis, teleseriaalis, mobiilirakenduses jm. Ühelt poolt näib sellise pihustamise põhieesmärgiks olevat keskse loo mõjusam turundus, kuid samas on tajutav ka transmeedia poeetiline potentsiaal ja võime pakkuda lugejale või vaatajale hõlmavamat fiktsionaalse maailma kogemust. Taoliste projektide sihtgrupiks on seni veel pigem noored, kelle jaoks erinevate platvormide vahel navigeerimine on omamoodi iseenesest mõistetav kirjaoskus - paralleelselt vaadatakse televiisorit, täiendatakse kogemust veebis leiduva infoga, jagatakse seda sotsiaalmeediaplatvormidel jne. Samuti on selle põlvkonna lemmiklugude kangelased jõudnud järgemööda raamatutest ekraanidele, lavadele, mänguasjariiulitele, ehk piltide ja helide keelde, erinevatele meeltele kogetavaks. See kõik tundub esmapilgul üksnes 21. sajandi meelelahutuskogemusena, kuid tegelikult teevad kaasaegsed kommunikatsioonitehnoloogia võimalused lihtsalt nähtavamaks ja seega ka paremini analüüsitavaks mehhanismid, mis on omased kultuurile üldiselt. Näiteks on pea universaalne praktika korrata mälestust kogukonnale olulisest (ajaloo)sündmusest erinevates keeltes, kandes selle üle suulisest pärimusest kasvõi koopajoonistele, kindamustritesse, arhitektuursetesse vormidesse, dokumentaalfilmidesse jne. Kultuurimällu jääb see sündmus aga sulamina kõigist neist versioonidest. Seejuures ei ole taoline sulam korrastatud mitte allikate objektiivse täpsuse alusel, vaid vastavalt kehtivale kultuurikeelte hierarhiale. Ülekanded kultuurikeelte vahel ei seisne aga ainuüksi ühe tähenduse kordamises ja mällu talletamises, vaid on ka uute tähenduste ja funktsioonide loomise võtmemehhanismiks.
The focus of the thesis lies on a phenomenon mostly associated with innovative practices of contemporary mediasphere, but hereby explained as an old and general cultural mechanism. This phenomenon is transmedia, in some contexts termed as crossmedia. Transmedia indicates a situation where a text (a story) exists simultaneously in two or more media channels. A recent local example is the fictional world of “Nullpunkt” (2014), spread across a novel, a film, TV series, a mobile app etc. At first sight, the main objective of such spreading seems to be more effective marketing of the central story. However, it is evident that transmedia also has a poetic potential and a capability of offering a more immersive experience of a fictional world. Currently, the audience of transmedia projects is mostly formed up by youngsters for whom navigating between different platforms is a self-evident skill, a certain transliteracy. It is common to be simultaneously watching TV, supporting the experience with online info, sharing one´s opinion on social media etc. In addition, this generation is accustomed to having all their favourite stories transferred to screens, stages, and toy stores, i.e. to visual and aural languages, to being cognizable by different senses. All this seems like 21st century entertainment, but actually modern communication technology only renders old cultural mechanisms more visible and better analyzable. For example, it is a universal practice to repeat memories of an important, identity-forming event in a diversity of languages, transferring them from oral heritage to cave paintings, textile patterns, architectural elements, documentary films etc. As a result, the given event is preserved in cultural memory as an amalgam of all these versions. This amalgam in turn is not organized according to some presumed objective accuracy of the sources, but in accordance with the present hierarchy of cultural languages. At the same time, transfers between the cultural languages are not only about repeating and preserving meanings, but are explained in the thesis as a key mechanism of creating new meanings and cultural functions.
The focus of the thesis lies on a phenomenon mostly associated with innovative practices of contemporary mediasphere, but hereby explained as an old and general cultural mechanism. This phenomenon is transmedia, in some contexts termed as crossmedia. Transmedia indicates a situation where a text (a story) exists simultaneously in two or more media channels. A recent local example is the fictional world of “Nullpunkt” (2014), spread across a novel, a film, TV series, a mobile app etc. At first sight, the main objective of such spreading seems to be more effective marketing of the central story. However, it is evident that transmedia also has a poetic potential and a capability of offering a more immersive experience of a fictional world. Currently, the audience of transmedia projects is mostly formed up by youngsters for whom navigating between different platforms is a self-evident skill, a certain transliteracy. It is common to be simultaneously watching TV, supporting the experience with online info, sharing one´s opinion on social media etc. In addition, this generation is accustomed to having all their favourite stories transferred to screens, stages, and toy stores, i.e. to visual and aural languages, to being cognizable by different senses. All this seems like 21st century entertainment, but actually modern communication technology only renders old cultural mechanisms more visible and better analyzable. For example, it is a universal practice to repeat memories of an important, identity-forming event in a diversity of languages, transferring them from oral heritage to cave paintings, textile patterns, architectural elements, documentary films etc. As a result, the given event is preserved in cultural memory as an amalgam of all these versions. This amalgam in turn is not organized according to some presumed objective accuracy of the sources, but in accordance with the present hierarchy of cultural languages. At the same time, transfers between the cultural languages are not only about repeating and preserving meanings, but are explained in the thesis as a key mechanism of creating new meanings and cultural functions.
Description
Väitekirja elektrooniline versioon ei sisalda publikatsioone.
Keywords
kultuurisemiootika, ristmeedia, kultuurimälu, kultuuriprotsessid, jutustamine, narratoloogia, cultural semiotics, cross-media, cultural memory, cultural processes, storytelling, narratology