The Concept Of Balance:a New Path To Understand Media Ecology

As the third school of communication research,Media Ecology focuses on the characteristics of the media itself and the subtle influence of the media on human behavior,consciousness,thinking,and social and civilizations.At the beginning of the 21 st century,Media Ecology began to attract the attention of domestic scholars as a whole.After more than ten years of introduction and absorption,domestic research has made some innovative results.However,it should be noted that domestic research "studies media as the environment" and only concerns the interaction between media system and social system,but not the balance and imbalance in this interaction.Therefore,this article is intended to show that the concept of balance for the Media Ecology is essential and it maintains the past,present and future of Media Ecology.In a word,the idea of balance is very important for Media Ecology and it is a new path to understanding Media Ecology.This paper explains the new way of balance for Media Ecology in three aspects.According to the logic of "media and its influence" which combing its media thought,we will find that the balance of ideas is an outline which through Media Ecology throughout.At the media level,both the media and the media systems of multiple media show some imbalance.Ennis' s space-time bias clearly points out the inherent imbalance of media characteristics.McLuhan's four laws of the media and Levinson's theory of remedial media explain some of the laws of media development,indicating that the media environment is constantly changing.In this ever-changing,the balance of the media environment has been repeatedly deconstructed and constructed.In the media influence level,it is media who makes the imbalance between people and themselves and the balance between people and technology.McLuhan's "Media is an extension of man" illustrates the influence of media on human sensory balance.Postman concerns the imbalance between sensibility and reason of human.Meyrowitz points out that the electronic media break the balance between the front desk and the background and thus cause a series of social problems.And the imbalance between man and technology has always been one of the focuses of Media Ecology from Lewis Mumford to Jacques Ellul to Paul Levinson.It can be seen that the concept of balance exists in the history of Media Ecology and is a clue that runs through Media Ecology.If we attribute the history exists of balance in Media Ecology to "the past",the relationship between the concept of balance and Media Ecology will belong to the "eternal present".First,the balance is the common reference to "media" and "ecology".In this sense,the balance becomes the binder of both of them.The media characteristics are unbalanced,and the media environment is in a dynamic imbalance and balance.Therefore,the balance / imbalance are the essential characteristic of the media and the development logic of the media system.For ecology,the balance is the development trend of the ecosystem.And study the interaction between the various factors of the ecosystem and find the way to balance is the most important research for ecology.Obviously,the balance / imbalance are the common intersection of media and ecology,which is the logical binder named the Media Ecology.Second,balance / imbalance is the starting point and foothold for Media Ecology.It is the social and cultural imbalance caused by the change of the media environment that makes people concerned about the media characteristics,which is the basis and core of the Media Ecology.As a school with a moral concern,Media Ecology takes a media perspective to study social imbalances,study which makes social imbalances and how to reconstruct the balance.The social imbalance as a research foothold enhances the interpretation of Media Ecology and avoids becoming a "castle in the air." Thirdly,balance is the ultimate study of Media Ecology.Media Ecology has a strong humanistic and moral care.Media Ecology concerned about the overall fate of mankind,concerned about the healthy development of human society.To some extent,whether we reveal the characteristics of the media or explore the long and hidden influence of the media,our ultimate goal is to make human society exist and develop healthy,balanced and harmonious.Through the above two steps,we confirm the logical legitimacy of the concept of balance in Media Ecology.At the end of this article,the author believes that the importance of the concept of balance not only reflected in the past and present,but also reflected in its inspiration for the future.Firstly,the idea of balance and the traditional Chinese culture of "harmony" thinking are quite similar.So,we can use the heavy local culture to further promote and deepen the idea of balance to enrich the theoretical construction of Media Ecology and the theoretical foundation of China's communication construction.Secondly,under the reference of sensory balance and the balance of media and human relations,we can speculate the development trend of the media in the future.That is,the "two-dimensional interaction" of visual sensation and facial sensation will trend into the "third-dimensional interaction".Therefore,the concept of balance in the Media Ecology has a very important position and significance both in the past,the present and the future.And it is a new path to understanding Media Ecology.