Abstract
In this investigation, I explore the tensions which self-referentially emerge within our constructed ‘nature’. I begin by exploring the origins of our contemporary media environment as discussed by McLuhan. I then interrogate the challenges of digital life through a close reading of the work of technology critic Giles Slade. I then conclude by situating these seemingly competing views of mediated existence within the framework of social systems theory. Through the lens of social systems theory, I reframe our contemporary technologies as adaptations to past challenges which also shape our experience of the potential choices and challenges of the future.
Recommended Citation
Hicks, Steven
(2021)
"The Interplay of Experience and Social Structure: Adaptation through Media,"
Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association: Vol. 2020, Article 6.
Available at:
https://docs.rwu.edu/nyscaproceedings/vol2020/iss1/6