introduction and theoretical foundations of new media

Introduction and Theoretical Foundations of New MediaInteractive Media

David Lamas, TLU, 2011

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Contents

Etymology Essential characteristics The environmental thesis and the anti-deterministic view Technology acceptance models Digital natives and digital immigrants

The Millennials

Innovation adoption stages A look into the future Related careers


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Computing in the humanities

1978Computing in the humanities is a field dominated by

amateurs, in the best sense of this word. Nothing forces a critic to put texts on a computer; no composer is compelled to seek the aid of a machine; even the programmers employed on this kind of project are likely to be there by inclination rather than by accident. Economic motives are also largely absent: in general, nobody makes or saves money by using computers for such applications, and only occasionally can the machine save time.


Immersed

2011Interactive technologies are all around us…

Paying billsBuying foodFueling our carsOpening doorsGlobal positioning systemsClosed-circuit televisionElectronically recorded transactionsMobile phonesSocial networksInformation riversTablets


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Immersed

2011Interactive technologies are all around us…Touch and multi-touch displays


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Immersed

2011Interactive technologies are all around us…Augmented reality


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Immersed

2011Interactive technologies are all around us…Ambient intelligence


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Interactive media

InterAmong, between

ActionThe fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve

an aim

MediaThe plural form of medium, an agency or means of doing

something, something we use to communicate with


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Interactive media

Interactive media is…The integration of digital media including combinations of

electronic text, graphics, moving images, and sound, into a structured digital computerized environment that allows people to interact with the data for appropriate purposes

Related to products and services on digital computer-based systems which respond to the user’s actions by presenting content such as text, graphics, animation, video, audio, etc…

Interactive media…allows users to participate and edit the content


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Interactive media

But some argue that interactive media is not…limited to electronic media or digital media

They include board games, pop-up books and flip might be also considered examples of printed interactive mediaSome will even argue that books with a simple table of contents or index may be considered interactive due to the non-linear control mechanism in the medium…


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Interactive media

And interactive media is not…New mediaOn one hand, interactive media enables the dynamic life of

the new media content and its interactive relationship with the prosumers

On the other, interactive media might just be used to “update” older media


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Essential characteristics

On one hand, interactive media retains some of the qualities of both artistic media and mass mediaBut in the other hand, the very nature of these older media

forms has been subjected to change by the qualities of computing devices

As such and with the relationship between old and new interactive media in mindIt is important to establish what is new about interactive

media. In other words, what makes interactive media be interactive media.


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The technological convergence of multiple mediaIntermediaMultimediaHypermediaGenerative content creation

The digitization, abstraction and simulation of old mediaIncreased fidelityQuality of representationNon-linearityImmediacy

The interactive authoring and interpretation of meaningInteraction with and through the enabling technologyRelating production and interpretation


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The fact is that…Interactive media is changing the way in which we relate to our surroundings by

changing the nature of the media that we are already familiar with

One should ask…How do we establish what these changes and the resulting characteristics ofinteractive media are?

Today, we will address this question peeking at some theoretical landmarks…The environmental thesisThe anti-deterministic viewThe technology acceptance modelsThe notions of digital native and digital immigrantsThe MillennialsInnovation adoption stages


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The environmental thesis

For McLuhan (1967) we are metaphorically fish that are unaware of the mediating water that surrounds usFish of course, having evolved to be perfectly adapted to the

life in the medium of water, are not aware of its existenceWater is the ecological niche into which they were born into


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The anti-deterministic view

For Williams (1974) it is human agency and the activities of societies and cultures that affect the nature of technology, not the other way aroundIn this case…

Technology is always developed with some human need or intention in mindIt is aimed at solving some problem or improving some pre-existing social situationPeople are always in control of its development


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Technology acceptance modelDavis F. D. 1989. Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quartely, 13/1989, pp. 319–339.


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Extension of the acceptance modelVenkatesh, V. and Davis, F. D. 2000. Theoretical extension of the Technology Acceptance Model: Four longitudinal field studies. Management Science, 46: 2, pp. 186–204.


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Unified theory of acceptance and useVenkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B. and Davis, F. D. 2003. User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, Vol. 27. No. 3, September, pp. 425–478.


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Basic acceptance model conceptsVenkatesh, V., Morris, M. G., Davis, G. B. and Davis, F. D. 2003. User acceptance of information technology: Toward a unified view. MIS Quarterly, Vol. 27. No. 3, September, pp. 425–478.


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Digital natives

Digital natives grew up using digital technology, and they’re often acting as guides for digital immigrantsThey are typically Millennials

(There are no precise dates for when the Millennial generation starts and ends, and commentators have used birth dates ranging somewhere from the mid-1970s[6] to the mid 1990s, with some sources including as late as the early 2000’s)

http://abm.typepad.com/mediapace/2008/07/index.html


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Millennials?

Also named…Generation Now

has been used as well to reflect the urge for instant-gratification that technology has imparted

Computer GenerationGeneration D

for DigitalGeneration M

for Millennium or Multi-TaskNet Gen

a shortened form of Net Generation


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Millennials?

Some interesting facts…97% own a computer94% own a cell phone76% use Instant Messaging15% of IM users are logged on 24/734% use Web sites as their primary source of news28% own a blog and 44% read blogs49% download music using peer-to-peer file sharing75% of college students have a Facebook account60% own some type of portable music or video device such as

an iPod


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Digital immigrants

Digital immigrants like their information delivered in a linear, logical sequence, but digital natives prefer random access to hyperlinked informationThey already entered the digital world as adults


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Innovation adoption stagesRogers, E. M. 1995. The diffusion of innovations. Fourth edition. New York. Free Press.


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Innovation adoption stages

InnovatorsInnovators are the first individuals to adopt an innovation.

Innovators are willing to take risks, youngest in age, have the highest social class, have great financial lucidity, very social and have closest contact to scientific sources and interaction with other innovators. Risk tolerance has them adopting technologies which may ultimately fail. Financial resources help absorb these failures.

Rogers, E. M. 1962. Diffusion of Innovations. Glencoe: Free Press.


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Early AdoptersThis is the second fastest category of individuals who adopt

an innovation. These individuals have the highest degree of opinion leadership among the other adopter categories. Early adopters are typically younger in age, have a higher social status, have more financial lucidity, advanced education, and are more socially forward than late adopters. More discrete in adoption choices than innovators. Realize judicious choice of adoption will help them maintain central communication position.



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Early MajorityIndividuals in this category adopt an innovation after a

varying degree of time. This time of adoption is significantly longer than the innovators and early adopters. Early Majority tend to be slower in the adoption process, have above average social status, contact with early adopters, and seldom hold positions of opinion leadership in a system.



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Late MajorityIndividuals in this category will adopt an innovation after the

average member of the society. These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism and after the majority of society has adopted the innovation. Late Majority are typically skeptical about an innovation, have below average social status, very little financial lucidity, in contact with others in late majority and early majority, very little opinion leadership.



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LaggardsIndividuals in this category are the last to adopt an

innovation. Unlike some of the previous categories, individuals in this category show little to no opinion leadership. These individuals typically have an aversion to change-agents and tend to be advanced in age. Laggards typically tend to be focused on “traditions”, have lowest social status, lowest financial fluidity, oldest of all other adopters, in contact with only family and close friends, very little to no opinion leadership.



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Innovation adoption chasmMoore, G. A. 1999. Crossing the Chasm. Second Edition. Capstone Publishing, Oxford.


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A look into the future

Five powerful trendsMost growth in the interactive media market will occur outside of

today’s high income, or “advanced,” economiesGlobal governance of the Internet will remain substantially

unchangedDigital natives will relate to the Internet in markedly different

ways than earlier generationsThe QWERTY keyboard will not be the primary interface with the

InternetConsumers will pay for Internet connectivity in a much wider

range of ways(with flat pricing a rarity)

Monitor Global Business Network and Cisco. 2010. A Look Ahead to 2025 by Cisco and Monitor's Global Business Network.


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Three areas of uncertaintyWill broadband network build-out be extensive as a result of

the combined effect of private and public investment, or more limited?

Will technological progress be characterized more by breakthroughs or mostly represent incremental advances?

Will user behavior, including the appetite for ever-richer interactive media applications, lead to demand growth being unbridled or more constrained?



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Four possible scenariosFluid frontiers

A world in which the Internet becomes pervasive and centrifugalTechnology continues to make connectivity and devices more and more affordable, in spite of limited investment in network build-out, while global entrepreneurship and fierce competition ensure that the wide range of needs and demands from across the world are met quickly and from equally diverse setups and locations



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Four possible scenariosInsecure growth

A world in which users, individuals and business alike, are inhibited from intensive reliance on the InternetRelentless cyber attacks driven by wide-ranging motivations defy the preventive capabilities of governments and international bodiesSecure alternatives emerge, but they are expensive



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Four possible scenariosShort of the promise

A frugal world in which prolonged economic stagnation in many countries takes its toll on the spread of the InternetTechnology offers no compensating breakthroughs, and protectionist policy responses to economic weakness make matters worse both in economic terms and with regard to network technology adoption



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Four possible scenariosBursting at the seams

A world in which the Internet becomes a victim of its own successDemand for IP-based services is boundless, but capacity constraints and occasional bottlenecks create a gap between the expectations and reality of Internet useMeanwhile, international technology standards don’t come to pass, in part because of a global backlash against decades of U.S. technology dominance



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Related careershttp://www.skillset.org/interactive/careers/


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Related careershttp://www.skillset.org/interactive/careers/

Where the bars fade out, this indicates that career progression usually requires moving into a different role at this point - typically to one that is adjacent or nearby on the diagram above

Where the bars do not fade out, this indicates that career progression is possible within the role, with increasingly senior positions usually being available


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Interactive media recap

Etymology Essential characteristics The environmental thesis and the anti-deterministic view Technology acceptance models Digital natives and digital immigrants

The Millennials

Innovation adoption stages A look into the future Related careers


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One final question

So… do we drive or are we driven by the development of interactive media?Does any of the initially presented models prevail?Does the answer depend on our digital citizenship status?

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