Media ecology: exploring the metaphor to expand the theory

Scolari, Carlos Alberto, 1963-

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2012.01404.x

Media ecology: exploring the metaphor to expand the theory

Citation

Scolari CA. Media ecology: exploring the metaphor to expand the theory. Communication Theory. 2012; 22(2): 204-225. DOI 10.1111/j.1468-2885.2012.01404.x

Abstract

This article introduces media ecology and reflects on its potential usefulness for gaining/nan understanding of the contemporary mutations of the media system. The first section/nmaps the origins of the field, specifically the development of the ecological metaphor. The/nsecond section explores the metaphor by including the concepts of evolution, interface, and/nhybridization in the media ecology discourse. The concept of evolution creates a theoretical/nframework for studying the history of media and suggests new concepts and questions about/nmedia extinction, survival, and coevolution. The concept of interface focuses on the media,/nsubject, and social interactions. Finally, the analysis of media hybridizations is basic for/nunderstanding the appearance of new media that combine different devices, languages, and/nfunctions.