From our readings, Interactivity has been defined mostly on a new media basis, not always, but often. The sociological context, mot surprisingly, views Interactivity as the “relationship between two or more people” who mutually adapt their behavior and actions to each other. (Jensen). On the Computer science tradition, Interactivity has covered areas from hardware/software interface, to user/computer interaction to today’s television over Internet protocol. According to Downes and McMillan, it is only in the last 10 to 15 years, that scholars in mass communication have begun to “examine the nature of interactivity in computer-mediated communication.” In early definitions, Rafaeli described Interactivity as any third degree transmission related to previous exchanges.
However, Steur, Rice, and Williams focused on real time communication. Steur viewed interactivity as “the extent to which users can participate in modifying the form and content of a mediated environment in real time,” while Rice and Williams added that interactive media must have the ‘potential for a two-war exchange.”
Rice looked at interactivity from the “role’ point of view thus subscribing to interactivity media in which the sender and receiver roles are “interchangeable.” Rogers did not stray much from Rice in defining interactivity.
Personally, I view interactivity in the “real time” context pf Steur, Rice and Williams. Interactivity defines communication whereby two or more actors are able to communicate back and forth in real time. It can be over the internet, television, radio or other forms, but it has t be in real time especially in today’s society. Responding to an email five hours later is not interactive, but an IM exchange is.
May be I am the only one, but I really don’t see how interactivity relates to the long tail. If I am on Amazon buying books and another one is recommended for me, I don’t see that as an interactive communication, it’s almost like Amazon is stalking me but in a nice way. Now if you friends on Facebook, MySpace etc recommend music or books that they liked and figured you would too, then that qualifies as interactivity helping the long tail effect. (The classic word of mouth, except its over the internet). In terms of serving as a viable model for future businesses, it seems to me the long tail only applies to items/products that are digital and as such are easy and cheap to store. I do not see how the Long Tail can apply to durable goods. The Long Tail applies to the Internet and new media age - digital music, digital books, digital movies and whatever we can store and transfer digitally.
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I think the example in the article demonstrated how The Long Tail can apply to durable items. It showed how one book was almost out of print, but due to the success of another book on a similar topic, and recommednations that drove sales, the original book found new life.
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