screen on, screen off
“Although, from a technical perspective, everyone can read a book from the 16th century, only few are able to access 15-year old data stored on diskette. In
conversation with SAP INFO online, Neil Beagrie, British Library and Joint Information Systems Committee Partnership Manager at the British Library, explains the issue of whether and how the knowledge of the 21st century can be preserved as part of our cultural inheritance for future generations.”
light-on, light-through
A less well known McLuhan aphorism; the media differ between those lit by reflected light such as print and those lit by transmitted light such a cathedral window or computer screen. We are more allured to watch the media of light-through, but induced to study media with light-on.
The
Zine Machine is light on in a context of light through. Another layer here is vector vs. paint. Line art easily crosses media, from cave walls to letterpress to draw software. Continuous tone imaging is more medium specific. Zines on-line or on-paper reveal these distinctions.
One question for Zine makers and Zine readers is where their attention is and where is their expressive message; light-on or light-through or both? No question, perhaps, if you are using a SnackShop vending machine for distribution. But is the medium the message? Perhaps, McLuhan only
meant to reveal that medium is 50% of the meaning in communication. That’s dumbfounding enough.