Critically Thinking about Digital Media

Basic Media History Gutenburg

Movable type, c. 1439 (before? … ) Newspapers / magazines Telegraph (1844) / telephone (1876) /

photograph (1839) Radio (1895) / television (1800s / early

1900s) / cable (1940s) / satellite (1960s) Vacuum tubes / transistors / integrated

circuits / computers

New media are associated with… A shift from modernity to

postmodernity Intensifying globalization processes A replacement (in the West) of an

industrial age of manufacturing by a post-industrial information age

A decentring of established and centralized geo-political orders

How are the media changing? Institutions Constant flux of ‘new media’ Ideological connotations of ‘the new’ Inclusive – ‘interactive media’ …

‘computer mediated communication’ … virtual reality … non-linear communication …

Discussion How is each made? Why is each made? How is each distributed? What role do you have in the

communication process? How would these products be

different if you lived in –China? –Saudi Arabia? -Cuba?

Our reading … Convergence UGC

Citizen journalism ‘fan films’

‘Old media’ and ‘new media’ ‘Science’ Art (design)

Communication Context Theories and Models (paradigm) Relationships and Power Economics Nature and Nurture How can you evaluate a system in

which you are intricately involved?

Shannon’s (1948) Model

Mediated Communication

Interactive Communication

A Transactional Model

Analysis of media content Newspapers Magazines Tabloids Blogs Video games Radio programming TV programming Online video (YouTube, Hulu, etc.)

Assumptions You already have done some media

analysis Being critical

stand back from the hype and investigate the nature of change

Not reduce everything to being capitalist scams

Not assume everything has changed; not assume nothing has changed

So why are we doing what we are…

Social behavior Belonging Achieving success Receiving Awards Fear Isolation Amusement And… ?