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From Homer to the Holodeck
The human need
to communicate is basic, running across all cultures and
all eras. Historians believe that the earliest cave paintings
were probably incorporated into musical and theatrical performances.
In turn, theatrical performance inspired radio, television,
and film production, which ushered in a new era of interactive
media, including computer and video games. At CMS, we consider
unique moments in media history, as well as the continuum
of media evolution, exploring the roles and functions media
plays in a variety of historical, cultural, and social contexts.
Media's Roles and Functions
Media mediate
-- Between one person and another, one community to another,
one time and another.
Media play many functions
-- Community building. Political debate and economic exchange.
Entertainment and recreation. Propaganda and surveillance.
Protest and resistance. Knowledge management.
Media are tools -- We're often
told media has effects on us, making us more violent, more
passive, more sexual. In fact, we do things with media.
People use media to archive memories (home movies, family
photos), preserve social ties (the Internet, the phone),
and experience the central stories of their culture (Greek
epic, Hollywood cinema).
All media are participatory
-- Digital media are celebrated as creating a more participatory
culture, where we are no longer passive consumers but active,
creative producers; people can build their own website,
shop on-line, or participate in chatrooms. BUT media participation
has a long history. When radio was first introduced, it
was assumed that everyday people would be able to transmit
as well as receive information; instead, radio became in
most Western cultures primarily a technology for one-way,
broadcast communication. Aspects of its participatory tradition
remain, however, in "talk radio" or even when we choose
a favorite song to express our feelings for family and friends.
Reframing Media History
While most contemporary conversations about
media focus on 20th century technologies, CMS recognizes
a need to consider media's roles and functions in a broader
historical context. We believe larger historical framings
pose alternative questions and offer alternative answers
which enable us to better address contemporary concerns
about media content, context, and change.
Comparative approaches to media history
include:
Technological developments
-- The methods and assumptions governing marketing have
shifted dramatically as advertising negotiates its place
in print media, broadcasting, and the web. Each media presumes
a different relationship between advertiser and consumer
and thus requires new ways of presenting information.
Genre formulas -- The roots
of contemporary adventure films can be traced back to the
myths of the ancient world. Each generation of bards or
storytellers places these adventures in settings recognized
as distant and exotic to the people of their own era.
Exploration of human sensory perception
-- Contemporary developments in virtual reality require
us to develop a greater understanding of earlier attempts
to build 3D graphical reconstructions of real or imaginary
spaces, including cycloramas and panoramas, amusement park
rides and attractions, or 3D films.
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