During our first meeting we spent some time getting to know each other, and then we wrestled with questions of terminology and how we define “new media” (or whatever we call the phenomena under study). Rather than try to come up with a strict, binding definition, we discussed the qualities that set new media apart from traditional forms of communication technologies. Some of the themes that came up, in both the discussion and the readings, were:

• hybridity/integration: New media often integrate different forms, or present hybrids of established forms. Particularly, many new communication channels (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) allow for a hybrid of interpersonal and public/mass communication (masspersonal, conversational). Additionally, channels such as YouTube allow for a hybrid of consumption and production. Users of new media can co-create content and share while also consuming mass-produced and individually-produced content. Lines are blurred.
• convergence: Technologies have converged, often in ways that maximize mobility/portability and duplication of features
• accessibility/democratization: New media are accessible to more people than traditional, gate-kept media
• revolution/disruption
• synchrony/asynchrony

We also discussed the two different perspectives on new media (social science, cultural studies) that we will be employing over the semester. The goal is to view these phenomena with different lenses in order to deepen our understanding. Finally, we discussed a continuum of perspectives on new technologies, from technological determinism on one end to social construction of technology on the other. A middle path, social shaping of technology, allows us to focus on the specific affordances of technologies, while at the same time allowing for the influence of social and cultural pressures. Technologies are designed (by people) with specific uses or goals, but can also be appropriated in ways unintended by the creators. Creators may also miss ways in which technologies will have unintended effects. Individuals make choices about technology use, but those choices may be constrained or influenced by the individual’s social milieu.