Transliteracy and new media

Sue Thomas

pp. 101-109

in: Randy Adams, Steve Gibson, Stefan Müller Arisona (eds), Transdisciplinary digital art. sound, vision and the new screen, Berlin, Springer, 2008

Abstract

Transliteracy is the ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks. The term is derived from the verb "to transliterate", meaning to write or print a letter or word using the closest corresponding letters of a different alphabet or language, and today we extend the act of transliteration and apply it to the increasingly wide range of communication platforms and tools at our disposal. The concept of transliteracy is embedded in the very earliest histories of human communication, providing a cohesion of modes relevant to reading, writing, interpretation and interaction. This paper examines new media through the lens of transliteracy.