I found reading about the history of the media, new and old, quite interesting. It is also fun to learn about different aspects that define a so-called “new media” and “interactivity”. The Analytical Engine has helped Jacquard loom to achieve universality. Everything( photo, video, text etc. ) is turned into just another set of data that can be easily manipulated due to new media’s modularity.
I found the concept of variability in the reading particularly interesting. Even though now we have greater power than ever to modify what we want to see since everything is programmable. However,a lot of times someone else decides what we see based on our customs and internet history. New media now have the power ranging from selling you stuff you didn’t realize you needed to swing the major elections. That’s why it is imperative to understand new media and not to be manipulated by it.