As I was reading Remediation by Jay David Bolter, I noticed certain patterns that connected the article with concepts found in Neuromancer. Even though William Gibson writes in the early 80s’, it is interesting to see how he manages to write about technological advances and ideas surrounding artificial intelligence. Combining the “old science” with the uncertainty of time and with the futuristic gadgets and implants, Neuromancer is therefore strongly related to Bolter’s and Grusin’s argument; “remediating relationships never end” and that “(n)ewer and older media forms continue to bore from one another” (Bolter).
The article also mentions that “(i)n every act of remediation, there is an implicit, if not explicit, claim of improvement” (Bolter). Similarly, in Neuromancer, Gibson discusses the theme of the new and improved technology present in Case’s world. Molly’s improved eye sight and ‘super-claws’, Case’s new and improved pancreas which prevents him from getting drunk or high, his super advanced new gear and even the (questionable) toxic sacks attached to his liver. So their experiences and bodies are more developed and more extreme than a ‘normal’ person like Case or a street samurai like Molly, could not have gotten in an earlier day and without the money and mysterious connections that Armitage provides.
What I struggled mostly with, were the ideas of “immediacy” and “hypermediacy” that arise in the article. Where does Neuromancer fit in these notions? On the one side, there is obvious transparency when it comes to the exact time the plot is set or even Case’s life story yet, is the concept of “hypermediacy” even present?
