Multimedia advice

YouTube showcases Michael Wesch’s visual analysis on new media

On a weekly basis I watch intriguing YouTube videos in my Info Tools class as an introduction to our lectures. Known as “starters,” the goal is to get us thinking about and interested in the topic at hand. Since I am studying Information Science, many of them involve how humans interact with information and how information is being organized and displayed on the web.

Michael Wesch, assistant professor of cultural anthropology at Kansas State University, has some of the best videos that I have seen thus far. His analysis on information architecture and the evolution of web technologies is brilliantly presented in his videos and has left me thinking more and more about the current state of information representation in the digital era.

Here is his bio for a little more background information:

“Dubbed ‘the explainer’ by Wired magazine, Michael Wesch is a cultural anthropologist exploring the impact of new media on society and culture. After two years studying the impact of writing on a remote indigenous culture in the rain forest of Papua New Guinea, he has turned his attention to the effects of social media and digital technology on global society.”

Take the time to watch these two well-done presentations. If you like what you see, check out his class blog and their current projects. You can also follow his daily musings on Twitter.

“The Machine is Us/ing Us”

“Information R/evolution”

Other posts that might interest you:

• Xplane visualizes our digital state in “Did You Know 4.0″
• How to get started building an iPhone Web app
• TechCrunch and VentureBeat offer great insights into Web innovation

© 22 March 2009 Innovative Interactivity (II).