Introduction to M/C

This is a magazine that plays with the push/pull characteristics of the Web.We're writing, investigating, analysing, critiquing the meeting of media andculture. These are large concepts: we're working through the variousrefractive powers that media forms have on culture. Perceiving through aparticular medium mediates the way in which we conceptualise the world; theapproach we take to the transnational, nation, state, city, suburb,neighbourhood, etc. We are, of course, aware that any particular medium doesnot overdetermine actions in some transparent McLuhanesque way; rather we'reworking through the cultural power of media forms to conceptualise and toorganise (or disorganise) our world-views.Naturally, we're operating from a place and space within these debates aboutthe organisation of culture. This journal is arising from an institutionwithin an institution, and thus is informed by certain approaches. It is aninitiative of the Media and Cultural Studies Centre, a research unit in theDepartment of English at the University of Queensland, Australia. Althoughwho writes for the journal may change, it is starting from a history ofcultural studies, a postgraduate subject entitled "New Media Culture", andstudents and staff who are genuinely interested in embarking upon criticalanalyses of media and culture. You'll notice patterns in the writing, then,that indicate these origins to the cognoscenti.Each issue is organised around a theme. The first issue's theme isparticularly appropriate for a birthing process, and the move from theapparent simplicity of beginnings to the complexity of sustaining life.We're looking at the concept of "New", and we're approaching it from avariety of angles and avenues. Most of the essays are short interventions.One essay for each issue will engage with the concept for a little bitlonger.A couple of warning notes may be necessary for your first read. The journalhas a slash in the title, which may be just another graphic pirouette, or itmay be some awkward bow to the Internet aesthetic of cursors andschizophrenia. Without grounding its meaning (the dance of meaning isimportant to us) the slash "/" is to highlight that this is a crossoverjournal between the popular and the academic. It is attempting to engagewith the 'popular', and integrate the work of 'scholarship' in media andcultural studies into our critical work. We take seriously the need to moveideas outward, so that our cultural debates may have some resonance withwider political and cultural interests.Also, in the interests of pulling, we want response and replies. Each issuewill be followed in some way by a responding issue that integrates thevariety of interventions received. Jump in. Yes, we have provided a pattern,but feel free to respond to our pattern. You can even respond by submittingfor future issues. Of course, you can decide not to respond to us; but ifyou find something useful acknowledge us and provide links to our work --we'll provide the same courtesy for what intrigues us. It is the courtesy ofthe gift of information, which through a slash becomes a form of knowledge.It's tempting to conclude with something that derives from the pure pop oftelevision: "Engage" -- but we wouldn't do that. You make the links.Citation reference for this articleMLA style:P. David Marshall. "Introduction to M/C." M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture1.1 (1998). [your date of access] .Chicago style:P. David Marshall, "Introduction to M/C," M/C: A Journal of Media and Culture1, no. 1 (1998), ([your date of access]). APA style:P. David Marshall. (1998) Introduction to M/C. M/C: A Journal of Media andCulture 1(1). ([your date of access]).