Media, Technology and the Home

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses how the "home" in most cultures around the world has been spatially and socially transformed by new technologies. The paper examines this process in terms of the marketing of modern entertainment technologies (television, games and the Internet). The paper argues that the introduction of these technologies is fragmenting the social bonds that have historically been the heart of the concept of home.

Outline:
Introduction
Technology and the Home
Technological Adoption and Determinism
The Future of Entertainment Technologies
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"It must be acknowledged that the introduction of socially transformative technologies in the domestic home is not a recent phenomenon. In fact, this process began with the Industrial Revolution and accelerated towards the end of the 19th century as electrification began to spatially and socially transform domestic life on an unprecedented level. Traditionally, the hearth had been the spatial center of the home as it offered both heat and light to the family. The spatial clustering of members of a family unit around the hearth intensified social connections between members through conversation. Moreover, it was not in the interests of most families to promote dispersion of the family throughout the house, as fire - the primary source of both heat and light - was too dangerous to be in the hands of young children (Nye 282)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Kline, Stephen et al. "Media Analysis in the High-Intensity Marketplace: The Three Circuits of Interactivity." Digital Play. Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queens's UP,2003.
• Nye, David. "A Clean, Well-Lighted Hearth." Electrifying America. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1990.
• Ross, Andrew. "Hacking away at the Counterculture." StrangeWeather: Culture, Science and Technology in the Age of Limits.London: Verso, 1991.
• Spigel, Lynn. "Media Homes: Then and Now." International Journalof Cultural Studies. 4, 4, 2001.

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• Analytical Essay # 2790 : "Instructional Technology"

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