Lev Manovich - Software Takes Command (Intro)

In his introductory chapter to Software Takes Command, Manovich covers the ubiquity of software in modern society and culture, specifically highlighting how software has become an added dimension to our culture and how we have largely overlooked studying and examining the history of its development from a non-technical lens. Software is not only deeply involved with media that we interact with on a daily basis, it has fundamentally shaped the creation and consumption of this media in our society and culture.

Manovich also aptly highlights that the rapid proliferation of such cultural software (largely meaning software that has not coincided with an increased understanding of how software works among its users. This concept reminded me of an episode of the 99% Invisible podcast, The Age of the Algorithm. This episode highlights how the algorithms that dictate decision-making in many systems that directly affect us on a daily basis are obfuscated. The episode explores what algorithms are and how organizations may use them to make a range of decisions, from what new music we might like to how likely a convict is to break the law again (directly affecting the length of any prison sentences). Manovich's discussion around the lack of broader understanding of software is a bit concerning to me in this regard - without a broader understanding of how and why software shapes the media and culture in our modern society, it's hard to formulate informed perspectives on whether this software is being employed in ways that are constructive to broader society. Tools like Python and Processing have made coding and programming more efficient and accessible however, which can open the door to more non-technical people exploring software, just Manovich equates to the point-and-shoot digital camera making photography more accessible.

Manovich's exploration of the different ways how software has shaped and influenced culture (and vice versa) incredibly compelling. Specifically interesting to me is the idea that the message a user receives by content is now actively constructed and managed by the user of this content. They can play one specific track of an album, read specific chapters of a book, and navigate through content as they wish. This is an incredibly important point to consider as we design new ways to analyze and communicate complex information.

Finally, Manovich highlights the lack of "a systematic examination of the connections between the workings of contemporary media software and the new communication languages in design and media," while setting the stage for this book to tease out how these connections can be made and how software dynamically redefined culture.