Approaches to Media Analysis - Essay Example

Running Head: Approaches to Media Analysis Name Course Institution Instructor Submission Date Approaches to Media Analysis Difference between Technological and Cultural Determinism I. Introduction A. Technological media development B. a. Digital media concepts i. Digitization ii. Convergence iii. Interoperability b. Determinism definition a) Technological b) Cultural II. Technological determinism a. Definition b. Marshal McLuhan’s idea on “Medium is the Message”. c. Arguments from other writers in support of technological determinism d. Example a) Television and radio b) Microwave oven c) Social websites III. Cultural Determinism a. Definition b. Arguments of Brian Winston and Raymond Williams c. Example i. Television ii. Social websites IV. Conclusion I. II. With the current advancement in technology, everything has undergone change to make it better and adaptable thus solving some upcoming challenges. Media is no exception of these. Media has undergone a tremendous change since inception. For example; cell phones have undergone change from the old analogue to the current digital types that are more interoperable. Cell phones are more interoperable currently because they can be used for different purposes with other media components such as film production. Technology has also resulted to the emergence of smart television sets having more capabilities such as internet access and HDMI ports. However with these new developments, it is important to note that new media does not replace the old media. The emergence of new media is what has been termed as remediation by Bolter & Grusin (1999). These improvements have been bolstered by the shift from analogue to digital technology. Digitization has resulted to interoperability and convergence of media. Digitization, convergence, globalization and interactivity were the courses of exploration when digital media became a matter of concern in the 1990’s (Tillander, 2008 P. 69). Importantly, these ideas cannot be separated from each other and they have become essential paths to modern day media. Advancements in media have resulted to better information delivery. Radios and other media forms are no longer fixed to certain locations, but available in other places as well (Lievrouw & Livingstone, 2002 P. 26). With these new developments, a big question that comes out is as to what influences the development of new media. There are many reasons that have been argued by many authors including Branston and Stafford as to why media is changing. Tillander (2008) highlights the fact that a number of researches are emerging in the realm of information and communication technology on social and cultural contexts. Notably, it is important to bring to light the fact that research extended beyond the study of new media alone to rope in their effects on society’s information and communication. Two different approaches have ensued as a result of these research studies. These arguments posit that technology has the capability of shaping individuals socially and on the other hand culture can be a factor that results to media change. These two approaches have been termed as technological determinism and cultural approaches respectively. These arguments have assisted in the understanding of the relationship between technology and culture. The two approaches ought to be considered when people are trying to understand the changing techniques and forms of media in relation to culture and history. Many people have taken the side of technological determinism approach and statements related to it are expressed in popular discourse (Daryl Slack & Wise, 2005 P.45). For example it is very popular to hear statements such as “Television is causing violence” and “computers are revolutionizing culture”. Perhaps, the best way to understand the differences between the two approaches; technological determinism and cultural determinism is to discuss them in a broad spectrum and look at what the exponents’ of each argued. Determinism has been discussed under various realms. They include; biological determinism, technological determinism and economic determinism. According to Fourie (2008), one thing determining all other aspects of human life is the key law to determinism. For example; in economical determinism, there is a strong believe that people’s economic behavior is the determinant factor in their social and cultural life (Wood, 2013 P. 63). Karl Marx’s conclusion of economic determinism was however criticized by some other writers but they do agree to some extent that it has some recognizable impact on the economy. Just like economic determinism, technological determinism approach of media analysis believes in technological innovations being the driving element of social change, culture, economics and politics (Fourie, 2008 P. 151). In the same way, Branston & Stafford (2010) describes technological determinism as that idea technology influences social changes and human perception rather than being influenced by social changes. Thorstein Veblen who was a social scientist is the father of technological determinism. Since time immemorial, media studies have become a major topic of study by major scholars and they have either argued on the approach to media analysis. They have either taken the side of technological determinism or cultural determinism. Scholars such as McLuhan have argued for the side of technological determinism approach in his scholarly works. McLuhan who was a canonic figure in media argued that a relationship existed between technology and the capacity to change a society. As a matter of fact, he was termed as a technological determinist due to his arguments (Logan, 2010 P. 22). He even underscores this fact for the support of technological determinism approach in his publication “Understanding New Media” by stating that once technology has entered into a social setting, it will not stop penetrating into the social setting until that time when every element of that setting is saturated (McLuhan, 1964 P. 177). Similarly, McLuhan’s guide Harold Adams Innis had a strong belief that the social, cultural, political and economic developments of each historical period had a direct relationship with mass communication technology of that period (Fourie, 2008 P. 151). He supports his arguments through examples such as that of paper and papyrus which were used in ancient Egypt for communication. Despite the fact that McLuhan was supported by many writers, others such as Raymond Williams have criticized his idea of technology shaping the culture of people. Williams critiques the idea of McLuhan “Medium is the Message” by saying that technology can be controlled rather than controlling the user. If the effect of the medium is the same, whoever uses or controls it, then we can forget ordinary political and cultural arguments and let technology run itself (Raymond, 1974 P 131). Another writer who critiqued McLuhan’s support of technological determinism was Brian Winston in his work ‘How was Media Born and Developed’. Instead he came up with a new approach of media analysis and he termed it as Cultural Determinism. Despite the fact that he critiques technological determinism, he supports it to some extent. He even admitted that technology influences media development. Technological effects can also be seen outside the realms of media and they can be understood as possessing some effects on people’s culture and social life. For example, Daryl Slack & Wise (2005) are trying to argue the fact that technology has some lasting effects on culture by using a gun. They argue that, a gun is responsible for cultural change basically because it introduced new ways of killing (Daryl Slack & Wise, 2005 P.45). As a result, new ways of solving disputes emerged. This is supported by the fact that it has reached many parts of the world. Introduction of the gun affected the culture in such a way that it made killing inevitable (Daryl Slack & Wise, 2005 P.45). As a matter of fact, it is very hard to avoid using technology once it is at hand. Daryl Slack & Wise (2005) highlights the fact that people lack the power to control things but technology can people’s minds. In the same manner, people’s eating habits are controlled by the introduction of Microwave ovens. Media is no exception. People should therefore think of media in the same way. Just like any other technological item, media has undergone change and it will continue to change while shaping society. As earlier stated, media forms such as radios and television sets have been integrated to different settings rather than being fixed to a particular location. A radio for example which was initially seen to be an electronic device for a few people in the society is now being integrated into any electronic gadget having speakers. Televisions on the other hand have ceased from being watched at homes alone but also in the computers with internet access. This has increased accessibility which in turn has a lot of effects on awareness. These forms of media have shaped many people socially and from this, their perception towards other people changes. Mcluhan argues that the fact that people listen to radios and televisions worldwide affects their perception of reality and their thinking about reality (Fourie, 2008 P. 152). As more television sets are being accessed by many individuals, their way of perceiving things also changes. Additionally, emergence of new media technologies that possess more capabilities than the older ones has a greater impact on the society by improving the access. Currently smart TV’s having internet access capabilities are emerging to improve the social nature of man. New media forms such as televisions and radios are being converted from one way communication to a two way communication through the integration of social websites such as twitter and facebook. People are able to express their perceptions through these pages. Similarly, it should not be a surprise to spot a child adopting new dressing styles after watching a TV. It is indeed a simple example of how the culture can change as a result of media technology. This idea can be applied to other instances involving culture and technology. Many people tend to agree with this approach that technology shapes the culture and social nature of people. Some of authors have extended beyond mere implications and supported this approach by empirical evidence gathered from cognitive research studies. For example, Hayles (2007) argues that children who are brought up in media rich environments are different from those brought up in environments lacking media elements. She supports her argument by use of cognitive research study conducted by Posner et al (2005). The experiment conducted involved studying children of age between four to six years after being subjected to playing video games for five days. From the experimental activity conducted by these researchers, it was evident that video games affected the intelligence and attention level of the children positively. On the other hand, other writers such as Raymond Williams have argued for cultural determinism. They are the critics of technological determinism. Compared to technological determinism, less has been done on cultural determinism approach. They argue that technology is shaped by culture and social processes bring technology into widespread use (Wardrip-Fruin & Montfort, 2003 P. 289). In the same way as Brian Winston did, Raymond Williams argued supporting the idea. Industrial revolution has resulted to new problems of social perspective and orientation (Williams, R. & Williams, E., 2003 P. 15). The idea here is that the relationship between men themselves and men and other things has been changed by industrial revolution. In order to avert these problems, technological changes ought to happen. It is for this reason that Raymond Williams posits that arguing from technological determinism perspective is wrong and it should be avoided at all costs. Technological changes are more prevalent in the military and industrial sector. The main reason for the change is to avoid new problems. Media should therefore be compared to industry and military. Brian Winston supports his arguments for cultural determinism in his work ‘How Are Media Born?’He used the case of television development to elaborate his view in support of cultural determinism (Wardrip-Fruin & Montfort, 2003 P. 289). Internet has brought many changes in media sector. A good example is the integration of social websites in the TV and radio programs. This integration of some media forms was pushed by the need to change them from one way to two way communication. Media forms such as television have undergone transformation since they were first manufactured. Television owes its origin to the 1900’s film. Currently, there are smart TV’s that have emerged as a result of remediation. Remediation has emerged basically because of the changing trend of social life of people. Initially in the 1900’s, films were the common forms of entertainment. However, it was being disadvantaged by the fact that they were stationary. At this period, employment was on the rise. Therefore, many people moved from one point to another in search for jobs. As a matter of fact, the social life was changing at this juncture. Being employed had an implication that a person will have minimal time with others. The changing social nature of people was changing at this time. There was need for portable media forms to replace films. Television emerged in the 1950’s as part of a transformation in society and it was a way of life that was more mobile and private (O'Connor, 2006 p. 29). Raymond Williams reiterates this fact by saying that television is designed as part of a different kind of social life (O'Connor, 2006 P. 29). Today, this argument is evident from the fact that more LCD and LED flat screen televisions are emerging to replace the old CRT televisions. These flat screen TV’s are much more portable than CRT’s. It is actually being pushed by the changing social life of man and the need for privacy. Similarly, more sophisticated mobile phones having more capabilities are emerging. Currently, social websites are the main hub for socialization. This social change has pushed for the need to have cell phones with pre-installed social applications. From these discussions, it is quite clear that both technological and cultural determinism base their arguments on technology and culture. However, the difference is on how they relate and influence each other. Technological determinism argues for technology being the cause while culture is the effect. Technological determinists have argued to oppose the opinions of the cultural determinists. This approach is agreeable to some extent and that media technology can affect the society and influence human activities. Cultural determinism on the other hand attributes on culture being the cause while technology is the effect. Just like technological determinism, this approach is agreeable to some extent. It is not a surprise to find somebody refuting one approach while having a strong belief on the other. Any undertaking of any of the approach requires a critical analysis of the situation. References Bolter, J. D. & Grusin, R. (1999). Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge: MIT press. Branston, G. & Stafford, R. (2010). The Media Student's Book (Ed 5). Kentucky: Taylor & Francis. Croteau, D. & Hoynes, W. (2002). Media/Society: Industries, Images, and Audiences (Ed 3). Pine Forge Press. Daryl Slack, J. & Wise, J. M. (2005). Culture + Technology: A Primer (Ed 3).New York: Peter Lang. Fourie, P. J. (2008). Media Studies: Media History, Media and Society (Ed. 2). Muizanberg, S.A: Juta and Company Ltd. Hayles, N. K. (2007). Deep and Hyper Attention: The Generational Divide in Cognitive Modes. Retrieved from Lievrouw, L. A & Livingstone, S. (2002). Handbook of New Media: Social Shaping and Consequences of ICTs. California: SAGE. Logan, R. K. (2010). Understanding New Media: Extending Marshall McLuhan. New York: Peter Lang. McLuhan, M. (1964).Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. O'Connor, A. (2006). Raymond Williams. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield. Posner, M., Rueda, M. R., Rothbart, M., McCandliss, B. & Saccomanno, L. (Oct 2005). Training, maturation, and genetic influences on the development of executive attention, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 102 no. 41. Retrieved from Raymond, W. (1974). Television: Technology and Cultural Form, London and New York, Routledge. Tillander, M. D. (2008). Cultural Interface as an Approach to New Media Art Education. Michigan: ProQuest. Wardrip-Fruin, N. & Montfort, N. (2003). The New Media Reader, Volume 1. Cambridge: MIT Press. Williams, R. & Williams, E. (2003).Television: Technology and Cultural Form (ed 3). New York: Routledge. Wood, A. (2013). Karl Marx: Arguments of the Philosophers. (Ed 2) New York: Routledge. Read More

Determinism has been discussed under various realms. They include; biological determinism, technological determinism and economic determinism. According to Fourie (2008), one thing determining all other aspects of human life is the key law to determinism. For example; in economical determinism, there is a strong believe that people’s economic behavior is the determinant factor in their social and cultural life (Wood, 2013 P. 63). Karl Marx’s conclusion of economic determinism was however criticized by some other writers but they do agree to some extent that it has some recognizable impact on the economy.

Just like economic determinism, technological determinism approach of media analysis believes in technological innovations being the driving element of social change, culture, economics and politics (Fourie, 2008 P. 151). In the same way, Branston & Stafford (2010) describes technological determinism as that idea technology influences social changes and human perception rather than being influenced by social changes. Thorstein Veblen who was a social scientist is the father of technological determinism.

Since time immemorial, media studies have become a major topic of study by major scholars and they have either argued on the approach to media analysis. They have either taken the side of technological determinism or cultural determinism. Scholars such as McLuhan have argued for the side of technological determinism approach in his scholarly works. McLuhan who was a canonic figure in media argued that a relationship existed between technology and the capacity to change a society. As a matter of fact, he was termed as a technological determinist due to his arguments (Logan, 2010 P. 22). He even underscores this fact for the support of technological determinism approach in his publication “Understanding New Media” by stating that once technology has entered into a social setting, it will not stop penetrating into the social setting until that time when every element of that setting is saturated (McLuhan, 1964 P. 177). Similarly, McLuhan’s guide Harold Adams Innis had a strong belief that the social, cultural, political and economic developments of each historical period had a direct relationship with mass communication technology of that period (Fourie, 2008 P. 151). He supports his arguments through examples such as that of paper and papyrus which were used in ancient Egypt for communication.

Despite the fact that McLuhan was supported by many writers, others such as Raymond Williams have criticized his idea of technology shaping the culture of people. Williams critiques the idea of McLuhan “Medium is the Message” by saying that technology can be controlled rather than controlling the user. If the effect of the medium is the same, whoever uses or controls it, then we can forget ordinary political and cultural arguments and let technology run itself (Raymond, 1974 P 131). Another writer who critiqued McLuhan’s support of technological determinism was Brian Winston in his work ‘How was Media Born and Developed’.

Instead he came up with a new approach of media analysis and he termed it as Cultural Determinism. Despite the fact that he critiques technological determinism, he supports it to some extent. He even admitted that technology influences media development. Technological effects can also be seen outside the realms of media and they can be understood as possessing some effects on people’s culture and social life. For example, Daryl Slack & Wise (2005) are trying to argue the fact that technology has some lasting effects on culture by using a gun.

They argue that, a gun is responsible for cultural change basically because it introduced new ways of killing (Daryl Slack & Wise, 2005 P.45). As a result, new ways of solving disputes emerged. This is supported by the fact that it has reached many parts of the world. Introduction of the gun affected the culture in such a way that it made killing inevitable (Daryl Slack & Wise, 2005 P.45).

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