on alternative uses of internet as a media

english                                            slovene
1. media on internet Internet radio = nadomestek in prava stvar
2. the real versus virtual debate revisited post ARS ELECTRONICA travma
3. democracy of the internet
4. the globality of the internet
5. mass media principles applied to internet
6. sequential principles versus parallel
7. editing, producing the content
8. the amateurism in the production process
9. against the appropriation of the net
10. radio & internet
11. decentralized radio
12. alternative transmitting technology
media on internet
It's clear that internet is first a technological platform. But let's make first one distinction: we will not regard internet as that anymore but talk about it as an 'inhabited' social platform/ structure/ space. Still, we will remind ourselves of it's technological/communication network based platform at the end.
Internet as an inhabited 'space' of human activities is lately one of the most interesting (para)-societies evolving so uncontrollably as it does in the last ten years. By it's nature a decentralized platform with hackers& crackers raving around, it attracted so-far surprisingly little of 'serious' institutionalized/ corporate activities. Tribes of indians still didn't lose much of the territories. Territory?

 

the human body and the net: the real versus virtual debate revisited

Does it seem that any human activity can be bodiless? A better description of 'real' would be 'physical' and of the 'virtual' - 'mind' or 'intellectual'. Some activities on the internet are also very physical and some activities are not mind/ intellectual activities at all. This is a somehow different perspective - it changes the view from the position of the passive 'watcher' to the position of the 'active' contributor. This change of perspective can easily be applied to other technological/ communication >

Transfer interrupted!

ay from the classical pre-determination/ mis-interpretation of all mass media. In understanding this it also helps if one understands the internet not as a technological network but a social space.

 

democracy of the internet

Without one controlling center determining the 'importance' of the constituting elements and (so-far) without the possibility to put 'weight' to each and every element - the internet as a system resembles an utopian 'anarchistic' human society. In fact, taking into account again the thesis of internet as a social structure - it is!
It is ridiculous that pages of SONY CORPORATION are as easy/ hard to find as any personal homepage. To increase the 'weight' of some site - there are special sub-structures involved: the linking of one page to another, which is done on a personal basis by each and every 'site owner' and till now this has been the main 'centralizing' moment. But this centralization is performed individually and the resulting 'sub-structures'/ human structures are small, very specialized and huge in number. The impossibility of 'concentrating' is maybe even a drawback - from the 'ideological' point of view (and of course the commercial! but we are not interested in that one!). But on the other hand - a diversity of structures of common interest is achieved which is in opposition to the reality of traditional 'real'/ 'physical' societies. Even more - the internet structures can grow regardless of traditional principles: the territoriality, the state ideology.

the globality of the internet

The term 'Global' is the main 'construct' of multinational corporate machinery and its neo-colonial market (post-) ideology. It is the winner of the cold war and the winner of all ideologies, it seems. But its interest lies in expanding the markets for industrial and post-industrial entertainment products. And this is the easy definition of information society. And the relationships are taken from the real societies: I sell - you buy.
The more complex definition of an information society still evades to present itself. But there are lots of different relationships around - common interests as reasons for using the communication means. This relationships have been the first to occupy the internet space and now seem to be threatened by the traditional relationships that rule and define the traditional media and societies.

 

the mistakes of the net: mass media principles applied to internet

The traditional uses of mass media as defined after the each & every of the 'great wars' of the 20th Century were, of course, dictated by the main ideological movements of the century. They proved as strong weapons for all the ideological experiments on the human societies. And is it any wonder that all mass media remain as such? And that internet as a medium also threatens to be over flown with models of traditional mass media - the radio, the television, the newspaper. But is there not a basic error in understanding the potential of the internet?
Internet already acts as a global supermarket. Still there are many individual little specialized 'stores' around.
Internet as a projection of a kind of television: in perspective it can enter every home/ it can bring 'on-demand' pay-TV with pay movies, video & music. But can it be regarded as a passive TV screen? Internet is a new media because of the potential for the audience to react (to buy - primarily). But each individual is able also to choose - to choose among millions of things. But among millions of things he has to find his area of interests. He has to become an 'editor' for himself. There will be moments for 'passive' media and moments for 'active' media.
Is internet a medium with potential of a mass media after all? Or should it be regarded as a person to person communication apparatus? Of course - both.

 

sequential principles versus parallel

One of the first communication medium was the telephone. This was due to the state of technical development at the time of it's development, but it still functions in the same way. The telephone is a totally different kind of communication apparatus - a person to person system. Never can we define it as a mass media.
Mass media tends to run incessantly, sequentially, prepared in advance - to present an interminable flow of data for the audience. It is the basis of the 'industry of desires' - for the audience and for the creators/ editors. It performs the role of the 'big father', creating moments of synchronicity within the audience (= the social structure). It determines the society by reducing the individuals into just elements of one unity.
Telephone and internet are parallel media. They are based on similar technological principles but there is an enormous technological step in-between the two. Internet can do exactly the same as telephone but also all of the mass media stuff! But it can do even more than that! It is a huge global archive with constant on-demand possibilities.
It can be a synchronizing apparatus but it allows also non synchronized activities. Non synchronized in the sense that the user is completely self-sufficient, browsing over it for a particle of his interest. Acting active on his own. But he can do more than that: he can easily enter the internet community even more actively.

editing, producing the content

Producing the content - editing has been so-far in the exclusive domain of high priests of mass media. Enormous industry grew out of it - technological, ideological and economical. Means of mass media production were concentrated in special places, closed institutions grew around, special rules and initiation practices were introduced to keep the intruder out.
With the development and spread of the computer technology a more or less universal machine was put to market - a computer. It cannot produce other machines (nor food) but it can successfully reproduce the work of many specialized machines - for a trifle of price. With it grew the internet - the technological infrastructure which allowed the formation of internet society. So - the channels of distribution were established too. By chance or not - this enabled also the telephone/ parallel principles of communication, distribution. Everything was now ready for the internet to become a social structure! And especially for an active member of community.

some thoughts on the amateurism of the production processes

Everything on internet is such that incubation time for the novice entering the internet society is as short as possible. There are software 'tools' (editors, encoders, painters, etc...) which are cheap, downloadable 'on-demand', so that anyone can learn to use and 'up-load' his 'product' as soon as possible. I think for a novice to become an active member of internet society it takes less than a year.
Still he is nothing like a 'pro', of course. But he can get definite results! And the majority of net society are just such 'amateurs'. We should again give a positive meaning to this word. The amateurs don't usually get paid for their net activities but they present themselves and their interests. To the world? No, to other amateurs - people with interests - individual surfers who happen to find a page. And behind a personal page there is usually a person - yes, he may not be (really) what he claims but there are transvestites everywhere! On the net,  it is really a person to person relationship - be it 'real-time' or 'archived'.

the future of the net & against the appropriation of the net

There are fears among the indian tribes of the net about the  commercializing and legalizing the Internet. These fears of course will realize. But without big 'investments' into depriving people of their 'democratic' rights or changing the whole technological principles, this will not present any change for the 'alternative' communities of the Internet.
The deprivation of the human rights (especially if it can also be: the right to buy!) is not very likely to happen. National and regional ideologies seem to be slowly dying out, the so-called western democracy is really a global winner - with it's main disposition - the global supermarket.
But as with all planet resources - the Internet does not offer infinite space/bandwidth possibilities!
There will be investments into security of data transactions and this will finally invite all the big corporate activities to use the Internet. This may prove to be critical since they would want more of 'weight' put to their 'data transactions'. Because of the de-centralized principle of Internet that would have to be performed on every server on the 'backbone' which seems a plausible solution. This would relieve the Internet from 'suffocating'. But 'channelizing' the various activities (into still admissible bandwidth) seems to bring the danger of excluding some internet 'sub-structures'.
This is happening at this moment already. Let's call it the appropriation of the internet resources.

So, the future: no water, no food, no oil, NO BANDWIDTH!?

by prof. Hufflehr (second only to Nostradamus ;=)


 Radio & Internet

While it is crucial for an "on-air" radio station to transmit "around the clock" and sometimes even imposed to by the state media legislation, it is fairly impossible for the smaller independent radio groups to produce an "around the clock" day-to-day live program. While it is possible to start a radio with ten people only, it is not possible to maintain the same agility for longer periods of time.

On the other hand - larger social structures are prone to over-beaurocracy and over-technocracy - which inevitably takes control! And this is, what we are against and Internet offers nice possibilities.

 But not this one:
 I. Real-time Internet transmission of a conventional local radio-program:
 For a local 'on the air' radio-station to overcome locality through Internet the only excuses may be:
 a) when there is no language barrier (within a large country),
 b) as a means of local crisis (still propaganda? Belgrade)
 c) to be of service to emigrant communities.

 It's better to use Internet for this:
 II. Local real-time transmission as a way to achieve 'point-to-point' communication:  Locally - when possibility for radio - (fm, microwave)- links does not exist, Internet-link is  advantageous over telephone-link. This may be the basis of a kind of local network of  smaller decentralized production centres and provide a more homely, live & constantly changing conditions for radio-transmissions to get even more people, civic groups & concepts 'on the air'! /At Radio Student we have initialized such a project called Ministry of  Experiment, based on ideas of MUU School (Media Uplink Unit) by Marko Kosnik and the praxis of low budget live broadcasts from various sites by Borut Savski/

 Or even better:
 III. International real-time transmissions as a way to combine production of remote production groups on the same (Internet) platform (=server): remote - yet ideologically similar!
 A large number of small production groups can form simple organizational structures, which in turn can multiply eternally and branch into ever more specialized platforms (=home pages, servers). At special occasions they can combine to form a strong international/alternative media body!  In view of the high cost of long distance microwave and telephone links and the ever developing technology for 'good-enough' real-time audio transmission through computer networks, it is of special interest for smaller production centres to overcome the distances  and connect two media of common interest at both ends. Recently Radio OZONE from Riga with Xchange activities develops a platform for alternative net&radio-stations. There are others interested in this system.

 And:
 IV. Transmission of sound files & messages, forming of Internet 'sound banks - archives':
 If one is not capable of "real-time" broadcasting production, then one can arrange a structure of "broadcast files" on Internet and re-new it every once in a while - and call it a radio! A special kind of very personal radio, as with every selection made by a net-surfer a new combination of sound files is selected. An on-line sound archive (example: Radio Internationale Stadt, Berlin).

To define the do-s and don't-s of web casting, let's compare it to what the conventional radio technologies don't (!!!) offer... and use web casting in every way possible, especially in the ways that surpass the ways of conventional radio! And even implement conventional (local?) media with web (international) principles (those of us who have the possibility).

 Web technology offers:

   1. (live) real time text, audio & video transmitting (everything synchronized or in parallel)
   2. worldwide accessibility & international concepts
   3. synchronized broadcasting from multiple sources on same platform (site)
   4. atomized (international) production groups, gathering to their own liking
   5. very differentiated (again international) audiences
   6. creation of no-copyright platforms of independent production
   7. information banks (texts, interviews, music, archived live production)!!!
   8. individualized ways of access to archived text, sound & vision files (for the audience)
   9. no cost difference betwen local and international
  10. no represive legislation (so far)

 What one pays for all of this, is the (low) technical quality of transmission. The web will remain "the final frontier" for as long as this remaines so.

So let's not build criterias for web media on the basis of what we are used to. It's time to rethink the media criterias (hopefully changing it), not to simply conform it to conventional stereotypes!


 Decentralized radio

Definition:
Decentralized radio is a variation of the "horizontal" radio principle.  (horizontal radio is an expression describing a project of KUNSTRADIO WIEN at Ars Electronica, used also as a principle describing an open-access electronic medium).  As an antipode to vertical principle (one transmitter, many passive receivers), horizontal  radio ignores the immanent technical drawback of one-way communication possibility. Independent groups, gathered by an idea (ideology), share the broadcast time and  technology, recruiting new (active) members from among (formerly passive) listeners.

Production centre is a multiple creation: a localized physical space, a technological structure, a social structure trying to reproduce itself in time.
 Receivers are by definition passive, eliminated from the creative process.

Outside the economical and ideological discourse, mass-media no longer need to "sell" their audiences to business or political partners. Let's eliminate the audience as the motive, let's find the motive in an active creative process! Let's try to impress the attentive listener: always a potential active contributor...

How to multiply the number of active producers, how to overcome the given social structure, how to enable the possibility for coexistence of different social structures?

 Creating temporary remote micro-centres, away from the technological centre, creating potentially more functional, "healthier" social micro-structures.


 Alternative transmitting technology


 (local example)

Alternative use of available transmitting technology at RADIO STUDENT (a couple of outdated exciters = modulator + rf amplifier) is put to good use with weekly direct transmissions (local fm-links) from various points of alternative life (clubs, small concert halls, even private homes/parties!). Of course it was used before 1996 in the same technical manner, but without any conceptual idea behind it - it was reduced to transmitting musical concerts twice a year.

While concerts still remain the domain of the regular technical structure at Radio Student, the less ''valuable" broadcasts are the predominant weekly activity of Ministry for Experiment and the equipment is combined from various (free) sources. The most important principle of such live broadcasts is the small social structures that form around these "micro-broadcasts" - no professionals, no specialists, just people from "the scene"...

We started with regular micro-broadcasting activities in April 1996  with different appearances of the phantom radio OHM ZENTRAL, transmitting after the midnight, using the main transmitter of Radio Student as a booster to pull 5W micro-power to 500W. This pioneering activities established the way to understanding the ways for the activities after the April 1997 when OHM ZENTRAL closed it's circle. These activities are part of Ministry of Experiment's DECENTRALIZED RADIO programmes.

What Ministry of Experiment (as heir to alternative & artistic radio activities at RADIO STUDENT) expects from local groups & individuals is their self-motivation and explicit interest (no money involved!). This is the concept of how to cement the radio program firmly to the local life & lifestyles.

From now on these live fm-links to real life are combined with the simultaneous Internet broadcasting. A decision has been made not to broadcast all of the time but only the conceptually clearer, not common radio adventures, which may also prove internationally interesting, in spite of the language barrier.

At this moment we are focused on Internet possibilities also for these local events, because fm-links in Band II are not legal, just tolerated (the low power).

 
 
 
 
 

Internet radio = nadomestek in prava stvar

Internet - pretezno  prazen prostor neskoncnih prostranstev, neizvedenih idej in izziv za domišljije polne. Skratka (navidezni=virtualni?) novi Novi svet. Med raznoliko mnozico dejavnosti bom poiskal tiste, ki se zdijo, da imajo kaj skupnega z radijskim medijem, oziroma splošneje – komunikacijske (informacijske, estetske,…) kanale.

Obcasno se kaj internetovsko medijskega dogaja celo na valovih Radia Študent, v popolnocnih urah, pod oznako Ministrstva za eksperiment, še posebej rado pa v petkovi, vcasih sobotni in pa v ponedeljkovi noci. Ze se nizka kvaliteta prenešenega ne zdi ovira, se bolj odprtim medijskim dušam splaca preveriti in morda v bliznje celo sodelovati! Obcasen obisk ustrezne strani (http://www.radiostudent.si/mzx/) vas o tem obvesti, pa tudi na precej drugih, podobno zanimivih lokacij napoti! Ker se zdi, da nekako hodimo v korak z ostalimi sorodnimi razpršenimi po svetu, se tudi ne bojimo ukvarjati z novimi definicijami, ker se stare, ko se jih neprilagojene aplicira na internet, nekako ne izidejo. Pa še izmislimo si lahko kakšno prav posebno noro (utopicno?), saj bo skupaj s tradicionalnejšimi definicijami enakovredna še nekaj casa visela v zraku, morda pa se scasoma celo prijela!

Dobesedne preslikave radia (casopisa, televizije,…) so najenostavnejša stvar na internetu. In tudi najbolj nedomiselna! Lokalnost (nativnost) medija je dolocena le še z (ne)razumljivostjo jezika, drugi atributi (=glasba, format) pa so 'globalno' standardizirani (nic kaj 'globalnega' v resnici, ko gre za mnozenje enega 'kulturnega' vzorca!). Rezultat je, da je vseeno ali poslušaš domaco postajo ali pa internetovsko iz Montreala ali Seula. Vmes pa na lokalnem radiu vendarle kakšno slovensko besedo vmešajo, tako, da se hitro odlociš za domaci klon istega. O nicemer podobnem ne bo v nadaljevanju vec govora!  Internet omogoca bistveno obogatitev doslej prevladujocih 'distribucijskih' principov elektronskih medijev in le s temi izzivi se bomo spoprijemali, ko se bomo lotili medijske uporabe interneta. Vsaj na Ministrstvu za eksperiment!

V tem trenutku je (multi)medijska uporaba na internetu na samcatem zacetku populisticne faze. 'Sistem' je še odprt, kraljuje 'naredi sam' princip, kar ima za posledico mnozico kreativcev-amaterjev, ki 'orodja' dovolj obvladajo, da se lahko z njimi izrazijo. Vse na internetu je zasnovano tako, da je inkubacijska doba za novinca zelo kratka. Vsa 'orodja' za multimedijo so poceni ali zastonj! Dostop do prikljucka skorajda ni problem, pravzaprav je tudi prostor (na serverju) za dejavne posameznike ali skupine enostavno (in poceni) na voljo. Ce ne v Franciji pa v ZDA, ce ne v Nemciji pa v Sloveniji, ce ne v Jugoslaviji pa na Nizozemskem…

Pravzaprav v ta, v zasnovi decentraliziran komunikacijski sistem, še najmanj verjamejo prav 'tazaresne' (drzavne in korporativne) ustanove, ki imajo tako ali tako svoje dejavnosti speljane po 'tapravih' (distribucijskih) kanalih. 'Globalnost' interneta se tem 'vele-podjetnikom' torej ne zdi bistven element, pac pa (ocitno) mnozicnost, ekskluzivna prisotnost (kar pomeni vecjo tezo njihovemu kanalu – internet strani), kar pa ne gre in ne gre in (še) ne gre.  Prav nasprotno pa velja, ko pogledamo skozi optiko 'malega podjetnika' (naj ta trenutek velja, da smo to mi vsi!). Globalnost interneta je zanj (zame) dosezeno dejstvo, na (ne)ekskluzivnost svoje individualnosti v širnem svetu pa je tako ali tako ze navajen. Nekako na repu njegovih interesov pa se znajde mnozicnost gledalstva.

Med konceptualno jasnejšimi (naravnejšimi) preslikavami medijev na internetu hitro najdemo prav majhne, specializirane (ideološko jasne) in izredno dejavne skupinice, ki v globalnem išcejo in druzijo posameznike, v realnem pa so bodisi teritorialno razpršene ali pa celo nezazeljene. Tezo (=mnozicnost?), ki jo ima posamezna stran na internetu je dolocena s številom povezav (hiperlinkov), ki ji jih podelijo druge strani na internetu. Te povezave je v resnici treba 'opredmetiti' in jih razumeti kot cisto realne socialne strukture. Res so nekatere strukture le preslikave najbolj obicajnih odnosov (prodam…), bolj zanimive pa se zdijo tiste zdruzbice, ki jih druzijo zelo specificni interesi,  akterji izjemno razpršeni, pa zato še ne globalni, ampak tvorijo nekakšno konstruirano eksteritorialno lokaliteto. Utopicno? Ali je torej cudno, da se v take vrste lokalitet druzijo sekte, umetniki, intelektualci, pornofili, politicni radikalci – skratka: ljudje s posebnimi merili!

Ti pristopajo internetu veliko naravneje – kot, da bi bil ustvarjen za njih. In res: Dimitrij Rupel je ?e leto in pol nazaj lociral internet kot idealno prizorišce 'alternativne' kulture (da se ne bi mešali v produkcijo ustanov s 'pravo' kulturo!). V resnici je 'alternativa' zasedla internet bolj zaradi novih moznosti estetizacij in komunikacij, kot, ker bi se hotela odreci realnim prostorom. Še vec: vedno bolj postaja jasno, da je navezava na realno zaledje (realni socasni dogodek – estetski, socialni) pot za komunikacijsko multimedijo na internetu.

Še korak naprej bi bila osvoboditev/osamosvojitev interneta od ostalih medijev, kar bi v praksi lahko izgledalo takole:
 Namesto neposrednega prenosa s pomocjo interneta do radijske postaje, ki potem seje radijski program vsenaokrog (in pri tem internet prevzema vlogo radijskega linka) bi bilo dovolj smiselno povezati z internetom dva fizicna prostora (dvosmerna okna). Ce bi seveda bilo smiselno ljudem v obeh prostorih, da se povezejo. Recimo slovenski klubi s svojimi programi bi lahko za svoje potrebe ustvarili komunikacijsko platformo, z moznostjo medsebojnih prenosov, (na nek nacin) kompletiranje (zelo ekskluzivnega) programa, ki ne bi bil vezan na vsepovsod dostopne radijske prenose, ampak samozadosten – vezan na ekskluzivo konkretne klubske kulture. Druga?e pa ima uporaba interneta kot linka do radijske postaje tudi opravicila: ne samo, da radijski program nastaja neposredneje (med 'krvavimi' ljudmi), odslej lahko nastaja tudi v mnogo bolj oddaljenih krajih, kar odpira vprašanja cepljenja lokalnih medijev z mednarodnimi produkcijami. To nas spet povlece naprej: o kakšnih lokalnostih je potemtakem govora? Jasno: lokalnost postane vec, kot le teritorialni termin – definira interesno diferencirano socialno strukturo. Kaj ni to dosezek?

Izven 'radiu podobnih preslikav', pri katerih je osnova sinhronizirano oddajanje in sprejemanje, je seveda bistvena lastnost interneta moznost, da v vsakem trenutku kdorkoli 'pribrowsa' do tvoje 'on-line' galerije, arhiva. Ta slednja 'galerijska' (pasivna) varianta je sploh najbolj znacilna za širši umetniški zivelj, bolj domiselni pa so takoj odkrili drugo dimenzijo – interaktivne lastnosti interneta in to vkljucili kot bistven element svoje izraznosti.

Vse te metode so skupne vsem internetovskim izrazom (pisava, slika, zvok) in so tudi vedno bolj kombinirane kot celota, tako, da ni pomena locevati medije na tekstualije, vizualije in audialije – ampak jih je treba jemati kot celovit izraz internetovskega medija -> multi-medija.

Vsesti se za racunalnik in oddajati radijski program za nakljucne mednarodne poslušalce zagotovo ne moremo šteti kot najbolj zdravo dejavnost. Radio je vendarle oder, pri klasi?nem radiu pa se nekako ve, da je verjetnost, da je v vsakem trenutku vsaj nekaj poslušalcev, velika. Tako je igrati predstavo (s kancem domišljije in samoljubja) vendarle (lahko) smiselno.

Pri radiu na internetu temu (še) ni tako. Poslušalca si moraš narociti. Naslednji korak je samoumeven: ce ima racunalnik in lahko posluša – tedaj lahko tudi oddaja! Nadaljnji korak je v mnozenju tega osnovnega principa. Koliko posameznih 'oddajnikov' lahko se lahko hkrati povezuje? Ali naj vsi delajo za eno celoto/produkt (kot se pri radiu spodobi!) ali pa naj vsak za sebe delajo na svojem 'produktu', ki se kombinira bolj ali manj po individualni izbiri vsakega posameznika? Hitro se sodelujocemu postavi bistveno vprašanje: ali se mi ljubi sodelovati? Ali je pet ljudi po Evropi, ki nekaj pocenjamo skupaj, dovolj, da jih štejem kot publiko vredno truda? Ali je dvajset takih ljudi ?e truda vredna publika, da skupaj z njimi delam predstavo 'radijski program'? Druga mozna rešitev: NE delati predstave 'radijski program'!

V tem trenutku med kreatorji internetovskega medijskega dogajanja (=artisti) ne obstaja prevalentno mnenje, kaj bi utegnila biti ost ('cutting edge') izrabe interneta v medijske namene, oziroma so presaditve teorij in dognanj iz drugih medijev prevec nedomiselne. Tudi cilji, ki bi jih posamezniki (skupinice) zeleli izvesti so si narazen ali nasprotujoce si, celo znotraj na videz monolitnih internetovskih skupin. Nekaterim pomeni cilj ideološka platforma na 'globalni' ravni, drugi išcejo nove estetske izraze, tretji drugacne socialne oblike, cetrte pa druzi ljubezen do kakšnega posebnega glasbenega izraza. Vse ideje so znotraj tega premešane, tako da si morda drznem prevec, ce vseeno  definiram 'ost'. Pri tem izhajam iz moznosti v katerih se internet loci od drugih medijev.

1. ) 'globalnost' mreze in moznost internacionaliziranja sodelovanj,
2. ) moznost hkratnih sodelovanj (v realnem casu), moznost sinhronizacije okoli enega koncepta ali izrabe paralelnih principov,
3. ) moznost sodelovanj atomiziranih (razpršenih) skupin, organiziranih raznoliko, moznost organiziranja v decentralizirane  platforme,
4.) moznost izjemno specializiranih struktur, izjemno fokusiranih znanj,
5.) moznost kreacij neodvisnih bank podatkov (s teksti, intervjuji, glasbo, arhivi) s prostim dostopom (moznost kreacije 'no-copyright' platform?),
6.) s stališca 'surferja': njegov zelo individualen pristop tem 'medijem'.
7.) zelo pomembno: nikakršne cenovne razlike med lokalnim 'brskanjem' po internetu in mednarodnim - ena sama teritorialna kategorija,
8.) zaenkrat: izjemno pomanjkanje represije in zakonskih omejitev, nemoznost povecanja 'teze' enih strani na racun drugih,
 

post ARS ELECTRONICA travma (leni si zaželi, da mu drugi prebere 

I. del (v katerem se prvic dotaknemo Mešanja kontekstov)

Cisto poleg mesta Linz v Avstriji se nahaja velikanski industrijski kompleks zelezarske industrije. Tjakaj se ob prigodnih prilikah vozi nekaj zaporednih avtobusov obiskovalcev, ki potem z ustrezno predelane kompozicije vagonov kot nekaksni novodobni turisti presunjeno gledajo v razorano pokrajino, tako zelo drugacno od njim domace postindustrijske. Pa je v resnici zgodba vlaka in te pokrajine iz povsem drugega stosa. Tik po 'anschlussu' je namrec Adolf Hitler obiskal svojo rodno vasico in odredil celo podrocje porušiti, preorati in spremeniti v industrijski kompleks, kakrsen je se danes. Umetniški projekt izpred nekaj let, ki je to zgodbo povzdignil iz pozabe in je tudi botroval preureditvi treh vagonov za panoramski ogled 'muzeja v naravi', je seveda izhajal prav iz prej omenjene zgodbe. Popolnoma iz tega konteksta iztrganega pa ga odtlej izrablja linska obcina in ga, postmoderno znacilno, pervertira v ogleda vredno znamenitost polpretekle industrijske dobe - verjetno v zelji afirmirati 'krasni novi informacijski cas', predvsem cistejši, katerega glasnik je velefestival umetniške izrabe novih tehnoloških dosezkov ARS ELECTRONICA. In na nek nacin sta obe situaciji gledani hkrati tudi ena moznih poti interpretiranja celote, konteksta festivala ARS ELECTRONICA.
 

V Avstriji ze nekaj casa poteka ostra politicna in kapitalska bitka za mesto 'drugega' med avstrijskimi kulturnimi centri - krajšo v teh casih vlece Graz in obeti so, da bo tako tudi v prihodnje. A to ne bo naš današnji problem. Nas opazovalce, goste zanima celovita slika, tudi ozadje. In to zato, ker zelimo oblikovati naš odnos do podobnih situacij v tem in prihodnjem trenutku. Vzorci uspešnih kapitalskih nalozb se seveda uspešno mnozijo, ali pa imajo ti vzorci kaj skupnega z uspešnostjo v umetniškem kontekstu, pa je zelo pomembno vprašanje.

    Namrec: nacin, kako uspešna zdruzba kapitala, politike in art-marketa tistih nekaj dni z artisticno egoisticnimi radikalnimi izpadi neovirano posiljuje ubogo prebivalstvo in obiskovalstvo Linza, je res perverzen. In, ce se iz podobnih prireditev dela turisticna industrija, tedaj se v mesecu dni zvrstijo tri prireditve - evropski mesec kulture v Linzu, festival novih medijev Ars Electronica in {e glasbeni dnevi v Bruecknerhausu.
 

Turisticne ladjice, ki vozijo po Donavi, glasno igrajo eno mnogih nerazpoznavnih radikalnejših sodobnih radio-art stvaritev, bliznji most te z obeh straneh napada z zvocnimi trobljicami s podobnimi zvoki, na obali pa je nad center mesta uperjeno deset mogocnih zvocnih sistemov, obe{enih deset metrov visoko nad tlemi, prezec na ukaz topnicarja, da z novimi estetskimi izrazi dokoncajo pred pol stoletja zaceti posel v bliznjem Adolfovem rojstnem kraju. In kaj ob vsem tem sijaju preostane multimedijskemu artistu, ki je nezavedajoc se konteksta neprevidno zašel razstavljati svojo prirocno slikovno/ zvocno/ konceptualno instalacijo?

    Da v trenutku obmolkne, pobere borno prtljago in se vrne v normalni svet, kjer mu art še dovoli iluzijo, da z njim spreminja svet. Pa fašistoidni kontekst okolice umetnika seveda ni predramil in je vesel inštaliral še svojo malo instalacijo, jo pognal in veselo trobil in prdel vštric z velikimi.
 

Še pred umetnikom pa se je bolnemu kapitaskemu kontekstu pridruzil aktivist in (tudi ta prostovoljno dobrovoljen) ARS ELECTRONICI predodredil osrednji idejni motiv, izdelan prav po meri nerazumljenega konteksta - INFOWAR!

In to je bilo veselo: zvedeti, kako malega cloveka napadajo veliki zlocesti konglomerati kapitalskih, ideoloških centrov moci in kako se tega ubraniti, kako se povezati v alternativne centre moci, najbolje kar globalne, ker je svet vendarle globalen in ne plošcat. Obilo kruha za neizzivete politicne aktiviste torej in obilo besed na popoldanskih seminarjih, kar cloveka ne odzeja, zato se poda v bliznji lokal, saj mu je organizator prisodil ustrezen honorar - in se krog sklene in zaklene.

 In kdo bi našel pot navzven.
 In kdo bi hotel najti pot navzven.
 

II. del (v katerem se še drugic dotaknemo Mešanja kontekstov)

Eden od pomembnih segmentov uporabe novih medijev na AE so bili vedno t.i. telekomunikacijski artisticni projekti. Artisticni pogojno, ker so pac vedno rezultirali v takih ali drugacnih artisticnih izrazih, vedno pa so si privošcili uporabe tako ekskluzivnih medijev, kot so visokokvalitetne telefonske povezave, satelitske povezave po celem svetu, neposrednimi prenosi dogajanj na obmocju celotne drzave - skratka tehnologije, ki je za nekapitalske rabe dostopna le zelo zelo poredkoma - recimo prav na festivalih ARS ELECTRONICA in DOCUMENTA. Poleg velikega števila instalacij in posvetovanj/ predavanj je lahko predvideti, zakaj so bile tovrstne dejavnosti posebej pomemben komplement, predvsem pa povsem v skladu z velikopoteznostjo na vseh nivojih - omogocale stik z vesoljsko, vojaško tehnologijo - za trenutek na voljo umetni{ki reinterpretaciji. Vendar, kar se je ze lani zacelo, se je letos docela prekucnilo: nic krivi kamen prekucništva je Internet = globalna informacijska avtocesta = svetovni splet = novi porajajoci se svet, cakajoc pogumnih zavojevalcev!
 

V relativnem umanjkanju kapitalskih korporativnih, drzavnih in privatnih mas-medijskih so si ga doslej delili mali podjetniki, posamezniki, umetniki, pornofili, fenzinarji, sekte in drugacni aktivisti - zelo raznolike neodvisne subkulture skratka. Vsi pa pogumni mozje in zene - pionirji, v novi teritorij uvajajoc specificne kulturne vzorce svojih dosedanjih okolij. In prav nekritcno presajanje starih vzorcev v novo okolje vnaša novo zmedo v novi medij! In vecina akterjev povsem pozablja temeljno razliko interneta od starejših medijev - decentraliziranost, ki se jo zeli - nedoumljeno - kot kakšen tujek v tradicionalni urejenosti sveta - kanalizirati po vzoru na starejše medije.
 

Tako smo se povabljenci v ta segment znašli v dolgi vrsti neprekinjenih racunalniški postajic na balkonu hiše Bruecknerhause, z radijskimi postajicami profesionalcev/ internacionalcev Kunstradia na desni, z radijskimi postajicami amaterskega prostovoljnega mednarodnega zdru`enja Xchange na levi in s skupinico nas 'maloštevilnih trdobucnezev', ki smo si za ta obisk nadeli ime Zeramulix, v sredini. Ni kaj, razporeditev, ki se jo lahko bere tako ali drugace. Pa tokrat ne omenjam zelo pozitivnega prepletanja novih znanstev, simpatij med posamezniki neodvisno na celi crti, temvec nadaljujem z bolj temacno temo Mešanja kontekstov.
 

Mešanje kontekstov je, ko se na enem mestu zberejo tri, celo štiri, v svojih motivih in po strukturi skupinskega funkcioniranja  tako razlicno ustrojeni kolektivi. Mešanje kontekstov je, ko se zdruzi najemnike Kunstradia z ostalim - amaterji. Mešanje kontekstov je reproduciranje popularnoglasbenih oddaj in na drugi strani neposredna zvocna produkcija. Mešanje kontekstov je fašistoidna zelja po zdruzenju vseh kontekstov v en vseobsegajoc zvocni tok - slavni uredniški kompleks. Mešanje kontekstov je, ko kreatorji sestopijo iz privatnih kontekstov delovanja v povsem drugacen kontekst enega od treh, štirih prisotnih grupacij - zavestno ali ne! Mešanje kontekstov je tudi enacenje radia in interneta. Mešanje kontekstov je, ko se `eli delati 'globalni' radijski program na internetu s sredstvi, na nacin in z motivi malega lokalca in potem, v nadaljevanju, izrazi zeljo po 'globalizaciji' taistega programa s pomocjo mikro-oddajnikov po celem svetu! Mali veliki CNN!
Mešanje kontekstov je, ko se vsem po vrsti rece artisti ali vsaj aktivisti, veji umetnosti pa 'remote art'.