New Media and Future

Question 1

Medium theory

Answer 1

focuses on the effect of the media technology itself, rather than the effect of the content within the media

Question 2

Marshall McLuhan - Global Village

Answer 2

Communication technologies have, in effect, shorted the distances between people in different parts of the world

Question 3

Who said this: humans are shaped cognitively by new mediums that perform functions humans used to perform

Answer 3

Marshal McLuhan

Question 4

Contribution of Harold Innis

Answer 4

1. Time-based media
2. space-based media

Question 5

Contribution of Les Manovich

Answer 5

1. Described the characteristics of new media
2. dominant form for storing knowledge was once narrative, but is now database

Question 6

Effect of new media on democracy

Answer 6

Proliferation of “sousveillance” (recording from user’s perspective)

Question 7

Characteristics of new media

Answer 7

1. numerical representation (digital)
2. modularity (discrete structures come together)
3. automation
4. variability
5. transcoding (into different forms)

Question 8

Interactivity

Answer 8

the extent to which a user is able to influence the form and content of a media environment

Question 9

Considerations of interactivity

Answer 9

1. Media are not always interactive
2. enhance interactivity by allowing us to select and modify controls
3. audiences may not want interactivity because too much effort
4. some audiences may want interactivity because they like options and involvement

Question 10

Moore’s law

Answer 10

describes the exponential decrease in size and cost of an integrated circuit vs. the exponential increase in computational speed over time