Theory 002: Mediamorphosis

In the present, it is common to hear from others that the current generation is living in a “digital age”. This can be observed anywhere and everywhere; many members of the youth are spotted armed with the combination of smart phones and the Internet (or, to be specific, social media). This provides to them an endless supply of information from within the reach of their fingertips, much different compared to years ago wherein information could only be accessed through print means.

It is fair to say that throughout the years, technology has shifted and advanced. This may be compared to the process of metamorphosis, wherein an organism undergoes change when it is close to adulthood. The same may be said for present technology: it is undergoing change at its most developed form as far.

Back in the early 1990s, Roger Filder wrote a book entitled Mediamorphosis: Understanding the New Media. Currently, the term ‘mediamorphosis’ may also be known as ‘digital metamorphosis’, something that is currently ongoing and observable as stated much earlier.

 He brings up three vital concepts that contribute to this ‘mediamorphosis’, namely: coevolution, convergence, and complexity. Filder explains that communication (of all forms) is something that is already part of the nature of human communication. These two are dependent on one another regardless of the background or culture of the people involved. He later brings up that as each form appears and develops, it influences the development of every other form that existed prior to it. Instead of just replacing what had been, the forms exist peacefully with one another and improve each other in their own development.

His idea of ‘mediamorphosis’ is readily observable in the present. This may be seen in the co-existence of print media and non-print media; neither has exactly outdone the other. Print media is still common to this day (ex: books, newspapers, magazines) while online websites and blogs are receives thousands, if not millions of hits each day.

Paul Saffo, a director at the Institute for the Future in Menlo Park, California, proposed that the amount for new ideas to fully seep into a culture has consistently averaged about three decaes for the past five centuries. (Fidler, 1997) Saffo’s 30-year rule states: “once consumers perceive a new technology to be useful and affordable, widespread adoption can take place rather quickly. But when the first rush of excitement is dampened by disappointments and setbacks, we usually experience ‘technomyopia’.” Technomyopia refers to the strange phenomenon that causes us to overestimate the potential short-term impacts of a new technology. When the world fails to conform to our unrealistic (or overly high) expectations, we turn around and decide to underestimate the long-term impacts of that new technology. First, we overshoot. Then, we undershoot.

Mediamorphosis has six principles:

Ø  Co-evolution and co-existence

All media forms exist.  They evolve together in expanding, complex, adaptive system. The old forms influence the new ones.

Ø  Metamorphosis

Gradually, new media emerge from older forms.

Ø  Propagation

The emerging media forms retain and spread dominant traits from the earlier ones.

Ø  Survival

The older, existing forms of media need to adapt and evolve in order to survive.

Ø  Opportunity and need

New media don’t succeed simply because they’re ‘cool’. Market opportunity must be present. There should also be motivating social, political, etc, reasons.

Ø  Delayed adoption

New technologies always take longer than expected in order to achieve commercial success. This can be seen applicable in Saffo’s 30-year rule.

A common example of mediamorphosis is Apple’s iPhone. Every time a new model is released, there are always changes in its features and physical appearance. At one point, it became a joke that the iPhone becomes longer while the iPad becomes smaller.

Another example of mediamorphosis is when AM radio coevolved with television during the post-WWII era. After some time, AM radio evolved once again when FM existed for the music audience.