Bolter & Grusin Summary

In Introduction: The Double Logic of Remediation by Bolter & Grusin the authors explore what they call the Double Logic of Remediation which is the fact that through remediation (the expressing of the same ideas through different forms of media) we as a culture want to increase our use of media yet want the experience of media to seem free of any contrivances. For example, when we go on a website and watch streaming video, listen to audio files, and read articles the idea is for the participant (notice I didn't say user but participant as the user is immersed in the media making him feel like a participant in the media experience rather than just a spectator) to feel totally immersed in the media experience and to not be conscious of how he is viewing the media but instead to feel what he is viewing, reading, listening to etc.

Bolter & Grusin also talk about hypermediacy which is the use at the same time of different forms of media thus giving us remediation. For example when I watch the television news I can at the same time watch pictures, read text scrolling along the bottom of the screen about something else, and even listen to audio all at the same time. This is hypermediacy at it's core, different forms of media bombarding the participant at once.

In conclusion, Bolter & Grusin explain how remediation has become the focus of our media culture, as well as of our lives and how hypermediacy allows the user to become immersed in the media. In some instances such as with the internet the user can even interact with the media making the immersion experience even more powerful. Remediation has drastically changed the way the average person views and experiences media and through ever improving forms of hypermediacy this is bound to keep changing even further in the future.