On the Evolution of Media: Understanding Media Change

This book provides a comprehensive framework for understanding media evolution in the context of the media ecology, covering processes such as emergence, competition, dominance, hybridization, adaptation, and extinction. It offers a reticulated and multi-layered conception of media evolution and explores the relationships between media species, the impact of new media on old ones, and the potential for media extinction. It also discusses how media adapt to changing social and economic contexts and offers quantitative and qualitative techniques for analyzing media evolution research.

Format: Unspecified
Length: 282 pages
Publication date: 23 June 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This comprehensive book delves into the intricate dynamics of media throughout the framework of media ecology, offering a comprehensive theoretical framework and a range of methodological approaches to facilitate the development of an eco-evolutionary perspective on media transformation. By examining a series of transformative processes, including emergence, competition, dominance, hybridization, adaptation, and extinction, this book goes beyond a mere chronological narrative to propose a reticulated and multi-layered conception of media evolution. If media evolution can be likened to a complex network, then what are the intricate relationships between different media species? How does the introduction of a new media into the media ecology unfold? How do these new media exert their influence on established media? Can media truly become extinct? How do media adapt to the ever-changing social and economic contexts? How can media evolution be analyzed and studied? What types of quantitative and qualitative techniques can be employed in the exploration of media evolution?

By presenting a novel research approach and theoretical framework, this book holds immense appeal to scholars and graduate students specializing in new media, media history and theory, philosophy of technology, mass communication, and organizational studies. Its comprehensive coverage and insightful analysis provide valuable insights into the ever-evolving landscape of media, fostering a deeper understanding of its complex dynamics and contributing to the field's ongoing development.

Weight: 586g
Dimension: 161 x 241 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032102191