1. New Media Technologies: Communication Theories
Kathy E. Gill
14 Jan 2008

2. Agenda Communication Theories More “New Media” Discussion
Multi-Media: phones

3. New media (recapped)
Some definitions focus on computer technology, others focus on interactivity
Differences:
Audiences not heterogeneous
Control shifts from communicator to audience

4. Communication
A process in which participants create and share information with one another in order to reach mutual understanding (Rogers, 1995).

5. Mediated communication
What is it?
d. mediated. (adj) acting or brought about through an intervening agent; (v) to be in the middle
Why would we study it?
We live in an ever-increasingly mediated world

6. Part one : medium
A go-between/intermediary in the communication binding the sender and receive
Considers symbolic and cognitive theories of the psychology of representation
Considers theories of meaning in signs and symbols (semiotics)

7. Part two : mass media (1/2)
Mass communication characteristics:
Directed towards a large, heterogeneous audience
Messages are transmitted publicly, are transient in nature, and are timed to reach all simultaneously
Communicator works for an organization
Charles Wright, 1959, from Communication Theories: Origins, Methods and Uses in the Mass Media, 1988, p7

8. Part two : mass media (2/2)
Mass media communication traditionally encompasses these channels
Newspapers, magazines (print technologies)
TV, radio (electronic technologies)
Note: “news” v “ads”

9. Channel
The physical/technical transmission as well as any device needed for encoding/decoding
May encompass advertising channels (direct mail) or news (TV)
One-to-many, one-way channel is typical

10. So, what is new? Your thoughts, based on readings? Technologically?
Socially?
Your thoughts, based on readings?
Three BIG things:

11. Concept of scarcity Gone! Bits can be shared; atoms cannot
Implications?
How does this relate to Bush’s musings about Memex?
Does it make it easier or harder to “remediate”? Why?

12. Constraint of time Gone!
Time-shifting (Tivo, podcasting, 24x7 tech support via the web … what else?)
How do you think that the speed in which we now communicate ( , mobile phones, etc.) has affected our communication?

13. Constraint of space Geographical barriers: Gone!
Internet technology lets us “space shift” like we “time shift” – (almost) seamlessly
There are environmental benefits from the advancement of technology, specifically from computers. If in the future, all of academia (from grade school & beyond) required only computer-based work, what would your response be to the change? Why?

14. New channels WWW E-mail Videoconferencing MP3 Electronic publishing
Mobile telephony
What do they have in common?

15. Your Daily DM Use (1/3) N=21 Cellphones Five mentioned talking
Nine mentioned texting
One mentioned music
Other: alarm clock, Facebook, , read NYT
Types: iPhone (2), Blackberry (2), smartphone (1)

16. Your Daily DM Use (2/3) MP3 Player Laptop TV Mentioned by five
Podcasts mentioned by two
iPod mentioned by seven
Laptop TV
Mentioned by six

17. Your Daily DM Use (3/3) Web email – 14 mentions
Social sites – MySpace (7), Facebook (5), Friendster (1), Yahoo!Groups (1), message boards (1)
News – 9 (plus 1 iPhone mention)
Blogs – 6 mentions
IM – 5 mentions
Commerce – 5 mentions (Craigslist, iTunes store, banking)
Digital pix – 2 mentions (Flickr, YouTube)

18. Computer Mediated Communication (1/2)
Desktop computers used as tools to influence human cognition and convey messages among people (focuses on the technology, older definition)
Any form of communication between two or more individuals who interact and/or influence each other using social software on separate computers linked by a network (focuses on the people)

19. CMC (2/2)
CMC software has two categories: asynchronous and synchronous (Smith, 1994).

20. Synchronous
Two or more group members have real-time (simultaneous) communication
Instant Messenging can be synchronous
Face-to-face meetings; video conference; other?

21. Asynchronous Allows group members to work individually and “alone”
Provides time/space flexibility
, BBs
Example: virtual teams

22. Virtual Teams Types Forms of Interaction Context
Temporary (no common history or future)
Permanent (common history and future)
Forms of Interaction
Face-to-face (meetings, formal or informal)
Electronically-mediated (phone, CMC, videoconference)
Context
Culture and geography may be similar or different

23. CMC/Web Characteristics (1/2)
Hardware independent
Software independent
IM Not Here Yet, But Close (Google)
Open standards
Information sharing
“Give back” (contribute) to the community

24. CMC/Web Characteristics (2/2)
A blend of characteristics from “old” media
Print
Radio
Film TV

25. Print Characteristics
Abstract
Fixed
Linear
Primarily verbal
Reader controls pace
Abstract = not live, not in motion before your eyes, interpreting symbols in your imagination
Linear = goes from point A to point B (not necessarily in the story, which may skip around in time; book itself starts at the beginning and ends at the end)
Reader controls pace -- fast, slow, all in one sitting, over a month
Primarily verbal -- text
Captive audience -- using that term loosely; audience has committed as far as buying or checking out the book
Fixed -- doesn’t change the next time you pick it up

26. Radio Characteristics
Auditory
Creator controls pace
Dynamic
Linear
“Live” — happening in real time
Transient audience

27. TV Characteristics Animated Creator controls pace Dynamic Linear
“Live” — may be happening now
Primarily visual
Transient audience
Now television -- which shares some but not all the characteristics of film.
Transient audience = not committed; click the remote
Dynamic = content always changing

28. Film Characteristics Animated Captive Audience Creator Controls Pace
Fixed
Linear
Primarily Visual

29. Web Characteristics Dynamic (not fixed) content “Live” (maybe)
Multi-media (visual, auditory)
Transient audience
Typically nonlinear
User controls pace and direction
Web shares some of all these characteristics. In many ways, Web has taken bits and pieces from all the other media to form a new hybrid
Text
Images
Animation
User controls pace and direction = unique relationship between content-creators and content-consumers
Visual aspect = important but combined with old-fashioned text reading
Transient audience = one click and they’re gone
“Live” = sometimes live and sometimes not
Dynamic = always changing; less predictable even than TV

30. Mass audience no longer
From broadcast to narrowcast
Time-shifting
Accelerates a move foreshadowed by niche publishing

31. Summary Mediated Communication is … Two types are …
Three characteristics of new media and their impacts …

32. Resources Effects of Four CMC Channels on Trust
Glossary of Internet Terms
JCMC

33. Reading Discussion Break into your discussion groups
There are four questions (seven groups)
Discussion – reach as much consensus as possible
“Report out” and group discussion