
Eydie
Detera
Evolution
of Multimedia
Let
us now extend everything we do to be part of a grand collaboration
- with one's self, one's tools, and other humans
. - Alan
Kay
There
is no doubt that the World-Wide Web is a powerful medium for us
to communicate with each other, but it also presents possibilities
for us to think about ourselves in new ways in relation to time,
space, borders, other human beings and machines. The World-Wide
Web, however, is part of an ongoing historical movement called
"Multimedia," a movement that has engaged in questions
about our relationship to technology and to one another for well
over a century. In this essay, I will introduce a number of concepts
in multimedia and some of the pivotal thinkers that contributed
its development. From this survey, we will see that there is an
underlying theme in this movement that prizes centering the user,
cultivating audience interaction, and supporting creative expression.
In addition, I will discuss the implications of these themes and
the future of multimedia.
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