Introduction


       Media, according to techopedia.com, is "the means of delivering and receiving data or information. In telecommunication, these means are transmission and storage tools or channels for data storage and transmission." Media has arguably been a part of humanity since the dawn of time. From beating on animal skin drums, to painting on the walls of caves, early humans used the tools and technology around them to communicate to the people around them and to express themselves personally. Certainly, in that sense, nothing has changed very much, except that communication tools have changed a bit, and now are becoming increasingly digitized. The digitization and ubiquity of media, communications has become so enmeshed that little distinction is made between having a conversation "in real life" or through texting, facetiming, Zooming and myriad other ways of getting a message across to one person, a few people, or millions, and sometimes billions of other people. This project will examine media, digital communications and the role it plays in our lives in both personal and universal ways. 

         What is so different about digital media? I would argue that it is not different at all in concept and theory than traditional media. It is very much the same, in that it is used to create messages, influence, entertain and most importantly, connect to others. What I think is so different about digital media is its ubiquity and global mass adoption. Platforms like Youtube, TikTok and Twitter allow users from every part of the world to share memes, videos, gifs, stories, ideas and news with anyone else. There has never been a time in history where this much of the world was talking to one another talking to one another on this scale. Is this a good thing? I think it is, in a lot of ways. People are seeming less foreign to one another, and cultural barriers are breaking down enough that we can find others from across the globe can share the same ideas, beliefs and sense of humor. Digital media, through the internet, cellphones, and other platforms offer an immediacy and accessibility that traditional forms of media just can't. Books, music and films occasionally break into global consciousness, and achieve massive, world-wide popularity, but they must be accessed in one certain way, like reading, listening or watching. Times and tastes also change, so what was popular last decade or year, will probably not be so popular going forward. Digital media bypasses the standard methods of communication by being a few things at once, or specialized enough that they bare little difference to older methods of communication, and yet, seem like completely new platforms. AI is even getting in on the digital communications game where companies can program bots to post on platforms to try to influence consumers. Twitter claims that about 5% of its user base are bots. Media is becoming more a part of us, and "other" from us. Real and unreal, how much of it is true? Who or what can we believe? These are the questions that our increasingly-digitized world are forcing us to confront. 

    This video presents a good, short overview on media history, digital media and where it is taking us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWObRKx38fo










  

      

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