New media and philosophy: Crossroads studies - Camelia Gradinaru

A book about the philosophical grounds of new media is always a risky and delicate project. First of all, despite the relative youth of new media, the number of studies written about them is absolutely intimidating. To try and add something new seems to be an eccentric endeavour. We could already name some research traditions and numerous subfields developed in recent years, each with their own specific vocabularies and hypotheses. The subsequent debates in new media studies or dealing with around specific subjects have contributed to the development of the domain. Secondly, to keep up with the pace of changes in this area looks like competing with the 100 meters speed race world champion: you know very well that you cannot win, but you still love the running track. Thirdly, mixing philosophy with something else is also a sensitive matter. Generally, philosophers are sceptical about comparing different paradigms or about applying a certain theory to a new, different domain. Nevertheless, the context in which new media have developed has been intensively marked by philosophy, having being linked mainly with the postmodern condition.