Hoofdstuk 26 Flashcards
What is Media Ecology Theory?
Media Ecology Theory is the study of how media and communication processes affect human perception, feeling, emotion, and value. It posits that technology and media directly shape and mold a culture, influencing society’s evolution.
What are the assumptions of Media Ecology Theory?
The theory assumes that media infuse every act and action in society, they fix our perceptions and organize our experiences, and they tie the world together, creating a ‘global village’.
What is meant by ‘The medium is the message’ in Media Ecology Theory?
This phrase means that the medium through which a message is transmitted shapes the message itself and how it is perceived. It is not just the content that affects the audience, but also the medium used to communicate it.
What are the four epochs in the Media Ecology Theory?
The four epochs are the Tribal Era, characterized by face-to-face communication and reliance on hearing, smell, and taste; the Literate Era, marked by the phonetic alphabet, visual sense, and individualistic communities; the Print Era, with the advent of the printing press, leading to visual teaching and the industrial revolution; and the Electronic Era, characterized by the computer, where seeing, hearing, and touching are crucial, forming a global tribe.
What is ‘global village’ in Media Ecology Theory?
‘Global village’ refers to the notion that humans are interconnected through continuous and instantaneous electronic media. It suggests that the world is one great political, economic, social, and cultural system due to the instantaneous access to information.
What is the ‘ratio of the senses’ in Media Ecology Theory?
‘Ratio of the senses’ refers to how individuals adapt to their environments through a balance of senses. It suggests that the balance among our senses can be influenced and shifted by different forms of media and technology.
What does ‘The medium is the message’ mean in Media Ecology Theory?
‘The medium is the message’ suggests that the medium through which a message is communicated, rather than the content of the message itself, has the most impact on the audience. The medium can shape the message and our perceptions of the world, and our lack of awareness of this makes the message all the more powerful.
What’s the difference between ‘hot media’ and ‘cool media’ in Media Ecology Theory?
‘Hot media’ are high-definition communications that provide relatively complete sensory data, demanding very little from the audience in terms of interpretation or participation (e.g., radio, lectures, movies). ‘Cool media’, on the other hand, are low-definition and require high audience participation, as they provide less complete data and require the audience to fill in the gaps (e.g., conversations, seminars, television).
What is ‘tetrad’ in Media Ecology Theory?
Tetrad is an organizing concept that allows for the understanding of past, present, and future effects of media. It’s based on four questions: What does the medium enhance or enlarge? What does it make obsolete? What does it retrieve that had been earlier obsolesced? What does it reverse or flip into when pushed to its limit?
