What is it about?
The current study suggests that a medium, in this case one based upon modest technological bases, is inextricably tied to socially patterned relationships of meaning and action. Moreover, the study indicates that these relationships are structured by communication. A medium, then, is a technology translated through its placement within a communication system.
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Why is it important?
One implication for this observation is that neither a medium – nor the technology upon which it is based – is a preformed physical conduit awaiting information or messages for transmission. The article suggests that all media are social and that much is learned about the basic nature of communication by investigating the communicational translation of a technology into a medium.
Perspectives
David Paterno hold a Ph.D. in Communication and Social Anthropology from the University of Otago.
David Paterno
Massey University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: An alternative view of a social medium: Communication as coordinating and medium-making activity, Media International Australia, February 2016, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/1329878x15627337.
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