Multimedia and Communication Curricula: The Medium Vs the Message Prof. Abderrahmane Azzi Abstract The multimedia technology is restructuring the field of communication in various ways. The prevalent nature of this new media invites flexibility which can make communication curricula accommodate a wide range of competencies including technical competency. I have argued in this paper that multimedia much like printing, radio, television and film are mainly the means whereby the content is delivered. Central to the multimedia is content and effects. Content requires perspective which can then be reproduced in texts and images while effects involves assessment of multimedia effects on society and culture. As such, the multimedia need to be approached from a mass communication perspective which preserves the identity of the field and provides a vital link between theory and practical application. Introduction The inherent dichotomy of medium and message in the field of communication is an old issue which in our opinion cannot be satisfactorily resolved even with the arrival of multimedia technology. The reason for this is the intermediary position that the field retains between communication media (the content) and communication technology (the medium). This is an old inquiry which questions whether the field of communication forms intellectual communicators endowed with broad theoretical knowledge of culture, society and history or technicians of communication who are equipped with practical skills to transmit the message via technologies of communication. The answer to this question is not a clear- cut type of revelation. This old-new controversy has recently resurfaced and made some communication educators like Robert Mchesney to postulate that the rise of recent technologies of communication such as Internet and Information Superhighway “place the future of communication research and education in US universities in jeopardy.” He adds that these developments “demand a restructuring or at least a rethinking of the very field of communication.” (1) Multimedia technology involves many predominant dimensions, economic, social, cultural, technological, global, etc. However, I specifically chose to examine recent trends in communication curricula and how some journalism educators and schools of communication around the world try to cope with the prevalent development in multimedia technology. ‘Multimedia’ is a term used to describe the new media which comparatively are not the same as mass media. The Internet Glossary defines multimedia as “term for any content that combines text, sound, graphics, and video. (2) This definition can be viewed from a mass communication perspective as a description which combines many of our senses (vision, hearing, etc.). This development seems to have restored what McLuhan termed long time ago the balance in our “sense-ratio.” The issues, however, is not much related to our sense perceptions as it is related to this new wave of interactive communication which has transformed the way people communicate, behave and conduct their business. Not only that multimedia accelerate the process of transmitting data documents and images, but the new media provide unprecedented accessibility and create a social multimedia cyberspace environment characterized by such new communication phenomenon as newsgroup communication ,virtual communities, etc. This controversial dichotomy is reflected both in attitudes of journalism educators and communication curricula across the globe, particularly in the US. Educators in communication do not have the same macro-level outlook as to how to deal with such development, particularly when the discipline of communication has historically been viewed as weak in theory. The recent report “Winds of Change” of the Freedom Forum in the US suggests that the recent technological development such as the multimedia revolution “has spread fear and confusion amongst the ranks of journalism educators. Many do not know which way to turn.”(3) Educators in communication seem to have at least two conceptions as to how to adopt communication curricula to multimedia environment. The report in question states that: “For some educators, the new multimedia herald the arrival of truly converged media, not only a distribution mix of audio, video and text, but also a combination mix of journalism, pubic relations, advertising and entertainment, with distinguished characteristics of each somewhat blurred … For other educators and most journalists, the new media herald new ways to distribute messages, but with the same need as always for the practitioners and the public to know the difference between what is journalism and what is not.” (4) The report suggests that many schools agree that multimedia teachings should take place, but no clear vision is advanced as to how it should be done i.e., whether classes would be taught by teams of faculty member, each one an expert on a different medium or faculty would be retrained so each faculty member would become proficient in teaching how to prepare a story for all media, etc. The confusion that the report refers to is in our view a kind of struggle of adaptation associated with any new medium of communication. Historically, the invention of printing press, radio, film and TV raised similar questions. Early courses in the field, such as printing offered by Kansas State College as early as 1873, were technical. Later, it was realized that journalists and communicators in general need solid intellectual attainments to be able to function within a complex socio-political environment both locally and globally. As technology keeps changing and market pressure increases, communication curricula gradually lean towards these requirements and pressures. Robert McChesney argues that “nowhere are these pressures more apparent than in communication … The pressures are doubly strong, therefore, to link up communication research and education to the masters of the corporate communication order, and to opt for what Paul Lazarsfeld (1941) termed ‘the administrative’ rather than ‘the critical’ path for scholarship.” (5) So far, no other McLuhan emerged to advocate a “media-determinism” perspective and suggest that the medium is still the message. However, there are as many enthusiasts of this new technology as there are skeptics. Journalism educators fall somewhere in between these polarities. Many journalism educators still subscribe to the main stream of journalism. Ronald Mc Danald of College of Communication, Boston University says “we embrace new technology [ i.e.,] multimedia,” but “we believe journalism must be taught separately, not become part of a communications mish-mash-a program that jumbles together all aspects of the communications and media worlds … Journalism is special, it stands alone and is different, with vital role and proud history - and we are committed to teaching it as a separate discipline.”(6) A number of communication scholars seems to adapt an integrative approach. John J. Schulz, Acting Chair of the Department of Mass Communication, Advertising, and Public Relations, Boston University states that “ our programs focus on the vital link between theory -- which can be applied to many problems and issues – and practical application, which develops professionalism.” He adds “we stress the very things the people in industry tell us they most need from new graduates: a broad-based education coupled with clear thinking, concise writing and effective speaking skills.”(7) Similarly, Ronald Macdonald says that “a good journalist is characterized not only by technical and professional skills, but also by intellectual breadth and curiosity about the world.” He adds that their TV program is “built upon a solid foundation of liberal arts and requires production of creative work, study of business practices of the industry, and the study of both critical and social aspects of television.” (8) The University of Missouri School of Journalism, an old reputed institution, also seems to adhere to this integrative approach. The program emphasizes “strong liberal education blended with pragmatic learning experiences.” Specifically, the program emphasizes “the critical thinking skills demanded by journalism and related occupations. [the] media operations—a daily newspaper, magazine, commercial TV station and public radio station – challenge and deepen those skills in a professional environment.” (9).
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