The Nature of Media Technology

In previous chapters, we have explored the industries and organizations that produce our mass media, the content of the media images that circulate widely, and the meaning of these media images for both audiences and the broader political system. In this chapter, we pay closer attention to the specific communication medium on which the various media industries rely. Because we cannot have newspapers without printing presses, television programming without equipment to transmit and receive visual images, or an Internet without the computer networks on which data travel, we need to examine media technologies themselves if we are to understand how media work. What kinds of information do the different forms of media communicate? What makes “new” media new? How do different media forms influence the ways we think or help shape the character of our social relationships? These questions focus specifically on media’s technological apparatus—the medium itself. The importance of media technology is widely recognized. In fact, a body of work has focused almost exclusively on technology as a driving force of social change. While technology certainly has consequences for society, a more sociological perspective examines the broader context in which technology exists. Thus, in this chapter, we consider the different properties of the various media. Then we go further and examine how the development and application of media technology are socially constructed. This discussion takes into account the dynamic tension between media technologies and the various social forces that have shaped their evolution and use. Finally, we survey some of the ways that technology matters, helping to shape aspects of social life and conclude by focusing on select new media issues.