Silke Putzeys Digital media & Technology 2025-2026
Lecture 1 introduction to digital media & technology
(23/09):
A) Introduction to digital media & technology (Delfanti,
Arvidsson)
DIGITAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY
- Digital media are integral to everyday life (work, socializing, entertainment)
- Understanding requires analysis of social, cultural and political contexts
o Social: between people, connected to them
o Cultural: in another country the same media channel/source as in our
own country
o Political: there is a lot of power linked to media (change elections)
- Social sciences aims to understand the relation between technology and
society
o How do they influence each other
o How do they co-evolve?
1. THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT
- Digital media are highly pervasive (eg. Computers, smartphones,,etc) and
omnipresent
o Taking it for granted (only realizing it when it’s absent), It is
everywhere, only when it’s absent.
- Mediatization = increasing presence and the growing influence of (digital)
media in our life
o The increasing temporal, spatial, and social spread of mediated
communication
Temporal = every time of the day there, every hour
Spatial = in all places the media is there
A timeframe:
1
,Silke Putzeys Digital media & Technology 2025-2026
- Mainframe and PC’s (1960-1980)
o 1980 = spread of personal computers
- Client server and internet (1990-2000)
o Introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW) 1989
- Cloud, mobile and big data (2000-2010)
o Rise of social and collaborative platforms
- Intelligent technologies (2010-2020)
o Mobile technologies integrating DM into daily life
- 2022+ = generative AI (new)
5.3 Miljard (nu) in 2024
internet connections
First website at 1991 and
now 67% of the world population
In Belgium which households have internet connection? 96%. Its
democratized
More than half of the world’s population is now online
o Growth in regions as Asia, Africa and South America has reshaped
the global information society
Media ecology and power
- Digital media have transformed the media ecosystem
- New actors (e.g. social media platforms, search engines) dominate
communication flows
- Digital media are a political and economic battleground involving power,
participation, and control
The digital condition
- Digital networks have become key infrastructures of modern life
- This “digital condition” requires rethinking concepts such as democracy, work,
identity and power
2. NEW AND OLD MEDIA
2
,Silke Putzeys Digital media & Technology 2025-2026
- Initially, New media referred to ICTs based digital code, distinguishing the
from “old media” = described traditional mass media (TV, radio, newspapers)
late 20th century
- This concept soon became problematic
o DM are not “new” anymore
o Digital technologies are highly diverse (GPS vs digital cameras)
o Lineair evolution where new media “phased out” old media
- Media evolution and historical perspective:
o All media were once “new” and initially had revolutionary impacts
o New media often come with exaggerated hopes or fears about social
change
o Over time, their effects tend to be more moderate than expected
- Remediation: Often, new media do not replace old media; instead, they re-
work or change or integrate them into different formats (eg. Books e-
book/e-reader)
o Old & new media coexist, compete and influence each other
o New media often imitate older formats (Wikipedia resembling
encyclopaedia)
Its better to talk about emerging media, digital media. Its easier to highlight than old
and new
Stages of new media
- identity crisis and domestication:
o New media often face uncertainty and contested meanings upon
introduction
we have fear, uncertainty, tragedy.
o over time, they become normalized and integrated into daily life
domestication
- Aging, survival and return of media
o All new media eventually become old or are replaced
o Some media disappear completely, others survive in niche markets
o Zombie media: refer to media technologies that were “dead”, were
bring back to life, reactivated and reinterpreted by users(ex: polaroid
camera, vinyl record).
- Media archaeology
o Media archaeology studies forgotten or obsolete technologies
o It explores how old media are rediscovered, reused, or given new
meanings
o Example: the Gameboy reused as a tool for producing electronic music
3. DIGITAL MEDIA
What makes media digital?
3
, Silke Putzeys Digital media & Technology 2025-2026
- Contemporary media are defined by their digital (binary) code
- Information is represented using 1s and 0s
- Digital media can convert analog signals into digital data and back
- A broad range of technologies rely on digital information processing
To understand the broader societal impact (social, economic, political impact) of DM,
we need to go beyond the technical aspects of DM.
Important Features: convergent, hypertextual, distributed, pervasive, algorithmic,
asymmetric, and both ephemeral and permanent C H D P A A E/P
A. Convergent:
o Past: different content types of media like radio for music, GPS for
navigation
o Now: with smartphone/computers you have audio/visuals, different
content types, you don’t need this separate things because you have 1
that does everything.
DM merge different content types into 1 platform
Devices have multiple functions (TV, radio, GSM) universal
machines
o Media production and consumption no longer require distinct hardware
o This leads to cultural convergence between media producers and
users
o Verschillende media en functies komen samen op één platform of
toestel.
B. Hypertextual
o Hypertext is texts that contains hyperlinks (blue links) to other content,
enabling easy access and navigation between them. Gemakkelijk van
ene naar andere pagina
o Hypertexts on the web allow for a customizeble, non-lineair reading
experience (you can easily jump to other topics..)( traditional
books)
o Users can customize their information paths rather than follow a fixed
order
C. Distributed
o In the past you had traditional media like TV it is highly
centralized (1 broadcasting firm (VRT) they had all the
power and distributed all concepts. One way)
traditional mass media
o Not the case anymore, there is no central player
anymore, you can jump from one to another DM
follow a distributed model
o With user-generated content on social media, users now also create
content
o Horizontal communication via media platforms
4
Lecture 1 introduction to digital media & technology
(23/09):
A) Introduction to digital media & technology (Delfanti,
Arvidsson)
DIGITAL MEDIA & TECHNOLOGY
- Digital media are integral to everyday life (work, socializing, entertainment)
- Understanding requires analysis of social, cultural and political contexts
o Social: between people, connected to them
o Cultural: in another country the same media channel/source as in our
own country
o Political: there is a lot of power linked to media (change elections)
- Social sciences aims to understand the relation between technology and
society
o How do they influence each other
o How do they co-evolve?
1. THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT
- Digital media are highly pervasive (eg. Computers, smartphones,,etc) and
omnipresent
o Taking it for granted (only realizing it when it’s absent), It is
everywhere, only when it’s absent.
- Mediatization = increasing presence and the growing influence of (digital)
media in our life
o The increasing temporal, spatial, and social spread of mediated
communication
Temporal = every time of the day there, every hour
Spatial = in all places the media is there
A timeframe:
1
,Silke Putzeys Digital media & Technology 2025-2026
- Mainframe and PC’s (1960-1980)
o 1980 = spread of personal computers
- Client server and internet (1990-2000)
o Introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW) 1989
- Cloud, mobile and big data (2000-2010)
o Rise of social and collaborative platforms
- Intelligent technologies (2010-2020)
o Mobile technologies integrating DM into daily life
- 2022+ = generative AI (new)
5.3 Miljard (nu) in 2024
internet connections
First website at 1991 and
now 67% of the world population
In Belgium which households have internet connection? 96%. Its
democratized
More than half of the world’s population is now online
o Growth in regions as Asia, Africa and South America has reshaped
the global information society
Media ecology and power
- Digital media have transformed the media ecosystem
- New actors (e.g. social media platforms, search engines) dominate
communication flows
- Digital media are a political and economic battleground involving power,
participation, and control
The digital condition
- Digital networks have become key infrastructures of modern life
- This “digital condition” requires rethinking concepts such as democracy, work,
identity and power
2. NEW AND OLD MEDIA
2
,Silke Putzeys Digital media & Technology 2025-2026
- Initially, New media referred to ICTs based digital code, distinguishing the
from “old media” = described traditional mass media (TV, radio, newspapers)
late 20th century
- This concept soon became problematic
o DM are not “new” anymore
o Digital technologies are highly diverse (GPS vs digital cameras)
o Lineair evolution where new media “phased out” old media
- Media evolution and historical perspective:
o All media were once “new” and initially had revolutionary impacts
o New media often come with exaggerated hopes or fears about social
change
o Over time, their effects tend to be more moderate than expected
- Remediation: Often, new media do not replace old media; instead, they re-
work or change or integrate them into different formats (eg. Books e-
book/e-reader)
o Old & new media coexist, compete and influence each other
o New media often imitate older formats (Wikipedia resembling
encyclopaedia)
Its better to talk about emerging media, digital media. Its easier to highlight than old
and new
Stages of new media
- identity crisis and domestication:
o New media often face uncertainty and contested meanings upon
introduction
we have fear, uncertainty, tragedy.
o over time, they become normalized and integrated into daily life
domestication
- Aging, survival and return of media
o All new media eventually become old or are replaced
o Some media disappear completely, others survive in niche markets
o Zombie media: refer to media technologies that were “dead”, were
bring back to life, reactivated and reinterpreted by users(ex: polaroid
camera, vinyl record).
- Media archaeology
o Media archaeology studies forgotten or obsolete technologies
o It explores how old media are rediscovered, reused, or given new
meanings
o Example: the Gameboy reused as a tool for producing electronic music
3. DIGITAL MEDIA
What makes media digital?
3
, Silke Putzeys Digital media & Technology 2025-2026
- Contemporary media are defined by their digital (binary) code
- Information is represented using 1s and 0s
- Digital media can convert analog signals into digital data and back
- A broad range of technologies rely on digital information processing
To understand the broader societal impact (social, economic, political impact) of DM,
we need to go beyond the technical aspects of DM.
Important Features: convergent, hypertextual, distributed, pervasive, algorithmic,
asymmetric, and both ephemeral and permanent C H D P A A E/P
A. Convergent:
o Past: different content types of media like radio for music, GPS for
navigation
o Now: with smartphone/computers you have audio/visuals, different
content types, you don’t need this separate things because you have 1
that does everything.
DM merge different content types into 1 platform
Devices have multiple functions (TV, radio, GSM) universal
machines
o Media production and consumption no longer require distinct hardware
o This leads to cultural convergence between media producers and
users
o Verschillende media en functies komen samen op één platform of
toestel.
B. Hypertextual
o Hypertext is texts that contains hyperlinks (blue links) to other content,
enabling easy access and navigation between them. Gemakkelijk van
ene naar andere pagina
o Hypertexts on the web allow for a customizeble, non-lineair reading
experience (you can easily jump to other topics..)( traditional
books)
o Users can customize their information paths rather than follow a fixed
order
C. Distributed
o In the past you had traditional media like TV it is highly
centralized (1 broadcasting firm (VRT) they had all the
power and distributed all concepts. One way)
traditional mass media
o Not the case anymore, there is no central player
anymore, you can jump from one to another DM
follow a distributed model
o With user-generated content on social media, users now also create
content
o Horizontal communication via media platforms
4
