Interactivity

I first read Kiousis who gives a definition for interactivity as "the degree to which a communication technology can create a mediated environment in which participants can communicate (one-to-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many) both synchronously and asynchronously and participate in reciprocal message exchanges". It would be easy if this were the only definition we were given. However, in the study by McMillan and Downs, many different definitions are given including "the relationship between two or more people who, in a given situation, mutually adapt their behavior and actions to each other". Another one by Steur is "the extent to which users can participate in modifying the form and content of a mediated environment in real time.

One of the focus group participants said interactivity "is the traditional communication model with a robust feedback loop". I think I like that viewpoint the best. Probably because it seems to be the most simplistic! Some of the other definitions factor in an element of time however, I'm not sure if that is a relevant factor. As long as a message is sent via a medium (computer, cell phone, etc) someone receives it and provides necessary feedback, then interactivity has taken place.

A comment was made in the focus group "respondents viewed interactivity as something old, something new, something borrowed from other disciplines, and something both people and computers do". I like that statement. People have been "interacting" for years. Within the context of new media, the aspect of technology has been added.

My favorite readings were the Long Tail and the Berners-Lee readings. I feel like the Long Tail is a great economic model in terms of entertainment. I don't see it working well for other businesses...like flooring...But, with music and movies Netflix and ITunes offer mainstream hits as well as independent films and musicians that aren't played over and over on the radio. It allows for people to become familiar with new things. It brings in business that would not otherwise be there.

The Berners-Lee reading was interesting because it talks about the origins of the World Wide Web. This is a concept I had never taken the time to think about before. I like how he discussed the evolution of the Web starting with Enquire decades ago and ending with the World Wide Web. My favorite section was the part about Berners-Lee testing Tangle. I laughed when he described what happened when he typed in "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood". It makes me want to type it into Google and see what happens!