Electronic Media, Situation And Social Behavior

Compared to the research of medium content, the research of medium technic is not so much. Harold Innis of Australia is considered to be the originator of medium technic research. As Innis's successor, McLuhan put forward some so audacious and original points that he became a very important medium theorist in this research field. Unfortunately, McLuhan's medium theory was criticized so much that his theory was nearly forgotten in 1980s. Meanwhile, Joshua Meyrowitz of America didn't avoid McLuhan's medium theory but adopt the valuable aspects to found "situation theory of media "with the sociologist -Goffman's "drama theory ". Because of the integrated system, clear reasoning, precise logicality and common but interesting contents, this theory was widely accepted in the academic fields and Meyrowitz was regarded as "media situation theorist".Combining McLuhan's point "the medium is the environment " with Goffman's "drama theory ", "situation theory of media "believes that the use of electronic medium made a new information system which altered the traditional definition of environment. In this new environment, public fields came to each other and people's social behavior and roles change correspondingly. In the later 20^th century, Meyrowitz broadened his "situation theory of media " and believed that with the widely use of electronic medium, modern society returned to "hunting and gathering society". He believed we went into a "global nomad " and founded his "glocality theory ". Both theories come down in one continuous line and form a relatively integrated theory system which not only breaks a new and unique research path but also becomes a very important theory in medium research field and subsequent researchers' valuable referrence theory.