CH 7 Jacob N Monday

Reading Summary:

Mediums have many different definitions. If we treat hardware and mediums the same, then the technology is viewed as natural and the programs as naturally occurring. Mediums have an essence meaning they do some things better then other things. For an example before pictures were invented, the medium essence used to be a painting, but after that it became a photograph and painting became modeled after the photo. The history of mediums is based on technological inventions. These inventions became mediums and popular due to social needs. Another definition of medium is a blend of different medias, like tv is a combination of radio, storytelling, and photography. Another definition is seeing medium as a virtual machine. It requires more than the technology; it requires the viewers and producers as well.

Personal Example:

My personal example is my computer science class. We learned about the history of computing. Initially a computer was a giant room filled with vents and plugs. Then new inventions made it smaller and smaller and more personal. The inventions were ushered in by social needs. The usage for computers changed as well. They started out as giant calculators and today you can do anything with them. The world is hooked up by computers but they would be nothing without users.

Reading Connection:
Computers themselves have a medium that changes. It has many definitions. One could be the change is usage or essence of the computer. Like I said it started out as a giant calculator and now it can do anything. The history of mediums is based on inventions like computing. They are shaped by social needs and have changed a lot over the ages. A computer is a virtual machine. It is used to run programs and control things. However, these acts require a user and a program. The world is hooked up by computers.