To what extent has new media been a driver of change in art and society

The purpose of this thesis is to demonstrate that new media has been a driver of change in the arts and society. In order to prove this, I will explore a variety of examples of new media art from areas of the world characterised by complex political circumstances, and also trace the relationship between new media and the European avant-garde art tradition, because these case studies embody a synthesised notion of change that connects new media art with larger effects on society. Since its roots in computer technology development during the 1950s, new media has challenged artistic, technological, and social convention, and this is partially due to the increased access and availability to new media technology which has resulted in growth for the large community exploring the convergence between new media and art. In particular this has had distinctive effects in areas such as in Russia and the Middle East, where the integration of new media technology into society has caused a dramatic change in the ways in which people create new art forms and engage with new media technology. This will demonstrate how new media has become a primary force in driving change in people, art, politics, and in challenging complex societal issues. \n\tOne of the most significant sea-changes brought about by new media has been a shift from technology as purely a tool for creating and disseminating art, to an understanding new media as a manufacturing force of an overarching cultural condition, whereby new media has transformed art, social interaction, world views, and politics. Due to this I will outline some fundamental characteristics of new media and explore contrasting notions of new which are often unclear or contradictory. This will derive a clearer consensus of what new media is and move towards an understanding of new media that is embedded in art practices and social interaction through the pervasive presence of new media, which is distinctly lacking in the critical literature. New media has driven an "extraordinary transformation of the ways in which our culture, and the creative works that define it, are expressed and communicated,” and represents a central focus in understanding the global landscape of contemporary art practices. \n