Woodstock Revisited: Media Meditation #3

I recently bought a book at Borders called Woodstock Revisited.

The Brain:

This book engages the neocortex because it's composed entirely of text that the reader must take in and process. It relates almost strictly to the neocortex because, with the exception of the front cover, there are no pictures or anything else that might stimulate the limbic or reptilian brains, although one could argue that the emotional appeals made within the stories have the potential to engage the limbic brain.

The Eight Shifts:

Books are currently under going a technological shift. Devices such as Amazon's Kindle and Barnes & Noble's Nook are revolutionizing the world of books, offering them in digitized, easily downloadable formats. Currently, Woodstock Revisited is not available as an e-book, but when I found this book on Amazon, I noticed a box titled "Tell the Publisher!" In this box, was a link saying "I'd like to see this book on Kindle." When I clicked on it, I was brought to a window with the following message: "Thank you for requesting Woodstock Revisited: 50 Far Out, Groovy, Peace-Loving, Flashback-Inducing Stories From Those Who Were There by Susan Reynolds in Kindle Edition. Our goal is to make every title available for Kindle. We will pass your specific request on to the publisher." This proves how far the technological shift has come so far, as well as where it could be headed.

Electronic readers and e-books also represent an aesthetic shift since reading devices such as the Kindle are emerging as new media platforms for literature.

The fact that books are now being digitized also represents a political shift. Digital books are accompanied by issues regarding copyright, ownership, and publishing.

Digital books also signify an economic shift. Books offered through the Kindle are usually much cheaper than traditional print books. If the e-book trend continues to grow, then it may undermine the prices of print books, which, in turn, could cause their eventual demise.

The Seven Principles:

Reality Construction: Because this book is an anthology of stories written by people who actually attended Woodstock, it constructs a certain sense of reality about the Woodstock experience. It gives accounts of people who describe Woodstock as the time of their lives; people who left the festival early because they couldn't handle the rain, crowd, and lack of food and shelter; and volunteers who helped provide food and rations for the overwhelming crowd of attendees. From these various stories, we are able to create a picture of the Woodstock experience, and what it was really like to in that infamous crowd of 400,000. Of course, some people also took videos:



Production Techniques: As I mentioned,Woodstock Revisited is an anthology of short stories from people who attended Woodstock. Each chapter is a unique story from a different point of view. All the stories are told in the first person which makes them more personal, and makes us, as readers, feel closer to the writers and better able to relate to and envision their various experiences. At the end of each chapter is a brief "Where Are They Now?" for the authors. Also, the cover of the book is representative of the late 1960s: light blue with tie-dye lettering and the head of a guitar. The font used is nostalgic of lettering that might be used in psychedelic art, but that isn't too fancy or flowery so as to still be readable. The same font is used for the text within the book. The book also features a glossary of hippie terms that a reader may not be entirely familiar with, as well as an index and list of statistics about the festival.

Value Messages: Each story within this book contains individual value messages depending on who wrote it. Most of them, however, are similar to the counterculture's from the 1960s, preaching peace and love, and describing how Woodstock changed their lives and the world. Given that the editor of the book also attended Woodstock, these messages come through pretty clearly.

Individual Meaning Because this book is a series of individual stories, individual meanings pertain to the authors of the stories as well as to readers. The writers discuss their Woodstock experience and what it means to them, and we, as readers interpret our own meanings from their stories.

Emotional Transfer: Woodstock was a very emotional and spiritual event for many people. By reading the stories of people who experienced this event, we're able to better understand what Woodstock meant to these people and why it was such an important event. Many of the stories describe what an overwhelming, powerful, and extraordinary feeling it was to see 400,000 people all gathered to share the experience of peace, love, and music. Many of the authors say that seeing the humongous crowd at Woodstock made them feel at home.

Production Techniques:
The cover of this book makes use of symbols with the tie-dye lettering and guitar head.

Rhetorical questions are littered throughout the stories. One example includes "Was the government going to spy on us, threaten us, disband us, or gas us?"

Like rhetorical questions, hyperbole claims are also used throughout many of the stories. One man refers to his Woodstock experience as an "odyssey."

An example of testimonial is used right on the front cover; Wavy Gravy says of the book: "This is the real deal. These folks were actually there and done did it! Reading this is just like being there--except you have to supply you own mud. Enjoy!" ( Also a little bit of humor.)

The entire book uses plain folks since all the stories are from average people who were witness to this incredible event.

This book makes great use of nostalgia. All the stories are the memories of people who lived through one of the most turbulent, chaotic, and yet exciting times in American history.

As I mentioned earlier, many of these stories describe an immense sense of group dynamics. Several of the writers say that witnessing the enormous crowd at Woodstock made them feel as if they were a part of something bigger than themselves, and that, together, their generation could change the world.

The four pages of statistics at the end of the book are scientific evidence.