WEBVTT 00:00:09.166 --> 00:00:13.266 I received a couple of requests to say something about ‘new media’. 00:00:13.266 --> 00:00:15.266 There is of course a lot to say about this, 00:00:15.266 --> 00:00:20.432 but for now I want to limit myself to a quick discussion on new media theory. 00:00:20.433 --> 00:00:23.633 Before we continue, could you think about some old media? 00:00:23.633 --> 00:00:28.666 Just note the first ones that pop up in your mind. 00:00:28.666 --> 00:00:35.066 And now, some new media. I asked this question in many classrooms 00:00:35.066 --> 00:00:39.999 usually my students mention mobile phones, the internet, tablets or blu-ray discs 00:00:40.000 --> 00:00:47.466 as new media. Old media that are mentioned are the newspaper, books, television and radio. 00:00:47.466 --> 00:00:53.166 Take a few seconds to think about why you consider this medium old and the other new. 00:00:53.166 --> 00:00:57.466 What is the definition of a new medium? 00:00:57.466 --> 00:01:01.232 While you are thinking about this, I want to share with you the following, 00:01:01.233 --> 00:01:03.499 typical quote, from a scholar: 00:01:03.500 --> 00:01:08.833 “[The new medium] will create forgetfulness in the learners' souls, 00:01:08.833 --> 00:01:11.966 because they will not use their memories (…). 00:01:11.966 --> 00:01:16.899 [Learners] will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; 00:01:16.900 --> 00:01:21.900 they will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing; 00:01:21.900 --> 00:01:28.633 they will be tiresome company, having the show of wisdom without the reality.” 00:01:28.633 --> 00:01:33.566 What medium do you think this critical scholar had in mind? The internet? 00:01:33.566 --> 00:01:37.832 You often hear people say things like this about the internet. 00:01:37.833 --> 00:01:43.566 But this quote is actually about the written word by the famous philosopher Plato. 00:01:43.566 --> 00:01:49.899 Plato wrote these critical notions on the written word around 360 Before Christ. 00:01:49.900 --> 00:01:55.700 There are many historical quotes very similar to this one referring to other media 00:01:55.700 --> 00:01:57.700 that were new at one time in history, 00:01:57.700 --> 00:02:00.733 like the first printed books in the Late Middle Ages, 00:02:00.733 --> 00:02:06.499 the new phenomenon of the popular newspaper press in the nineteenth century, 00:02:06.500 --> 00:02:10.699 radio in the early and television in the late twentieth century. 00:02:10.699 --> 00:02:14.233 The point I’m trying to make is this: 00:02:14.233 --> 00:02:20.333 It’s important to realize that all media were new at one time or another. 00:02:20.333 --> 00:02:24.499 Because it’s easy to fall into the trap of only seeing our current new media, 00:02:24.500 --> 00:02:28.333 internet, mobile media and such, as new. 00:02:28.333 --> 00:02:35.166 This trap has led some scholars to come up with very specific definitions of new media, 00:02:35.166 --> 00:02:41.099 claiming that new media are always interactive, promote user participation, et cetera. 00:02:41.100 --> 00:02:43.366 But is this useful? 00:02:43.366 --> 00:02:48.666 Basically what we are seeing here is new media theory built around specific 00:02:48.666 --> 00:02:50.866 and only current examples, 00:02:50.866 --> 00:02:57.299 like the internet or mobile media. These types of theories explain what’s happening right now, 00:02:57.300 --> 00:03:01.600 but you can’t really use them to explain the phenomenon of new media in general. 00:03:01.600 --> 00:03:05.800 These theories, built around the new media of today, 00:03:05.800 --> 00:03:09.266 hardly fit the situation where the written word was introduced 00:03:09.266 --> 00:03:14.832 or the book printing revolution changed the face of Europe. 00:03:14.833 --> 00:03:19.633 Also, in designing theories to fit current examples lies another danger, 00:03:19.633 --> 00:03:23.199 because it’s very probable that these theories become outdated as soon 00:03:23.200 --> 00:03:26.666 as a new new medium arises. 00:03:26.666 --> 00:03:32.199 Therefore, many scholars argue against the practice of creating new media theories 00:03:32.200 --> 00:03:35.366 to fit current examples. 00:03:35.366 --> 00:03:41.599 The influential Marshall McLuhan gave a great example when he proposed his own theories on new media, 00:03:41.600 --> 00:03:46.966 not by dwelling on modern-day examples, but by skipping back and forth through time, 00:03:46.966 --> 00:03:54.832 showing in fact that his theories apply in all of these historical and modern situations. 00:03:54.833 --> 00:04:00.266 One of his main observations was in fact that all of these media revolutions throughout history 00:04:00.266 --> 00:04:03.899 were always caused by a new technology. 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:07.300 This perspective is called technology determinism, 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:11.533 because important shifts in human development are, in the end, 00:04:11.533 --> 00:04:18.065 attributed to innovations in technology. The printing revolution was made possible by 00:04:18.065 --> 00:04:21.531 Gutenberg’s innovation of the printing press. 00:04:21.533 --> 00:04:27.499 The internet was made possible because computer networks were developed. Et cetera. 00:04:27.500 --> 00:04:33.200 Another important conclusion of McLuhan was that all of these shifts in the media landscapes 00:04:33.200 --> 00:04:36.733 had huge effects in society: 00:04:36.733 --> 00:04:40.033 The printing revolution led to the Renaissance and Enlightenment. 00:04:40.033 --> 00:04:46.266 The rise of the internet has heralded a modern digital information age. 00:04:46.266 --> 00:04:49.566 Other scholars have followed in the footsteps of McLuhan, 00:04:49.566 --> 00:04:53.432 even though they don’t always agree with his views, 00:04:53.433 --> 00:04:58.299 they too strive to formulate theories and definitions on New Media 00:04:58.300 --> 00:05:04.466 that capture the entirety of the new media phenomenon, and not only current examples.