Digital Media, Defined
July 5, 2010 By 10 Comments

Digital Media, Defined

Hot off the tails of our June 21st 2010 working session, we have synthesized each working group’s definition, as well as researched existing definitions of digital media and new media. Our methodology for creating a definition was to look for specific keywords that describe our industry, the function it performs and the types of individuals within the digital media industry. Those keywords were culled from artifacts generated during our working session, and can be found on the 49Pixels Wiki.

For the purposes of our research study, we’ve defined digital media as follows:

Digital content and mediums in which users are afforded instant and open access to electronic content in a collaborative and participatory environment designed for the purposes of mass consumption. Typical vehicles of content delivery include the web, mobile platforms and gaming consoles. The digital media industry is comprised of two streams: producers (those who create digital content) and enablers (those who design the vehicles for content delivery).

What do you think? How do you define digital media? Add your voice by way of a comment below.

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  • Mamba

    My only comment is that you didn’t include ‘consumer’ in the above definition and that there is no sharp boundary between consumer and producer. The label of consumer or producer can only be invoked in its situated context. In other words, these labels are not static, as implied above, but rather are performed in a situated context. As a user, I generate content that ‘producers’ (according to the definition above) consume to upgrade their apps or create new apps and products.

  • Mamba

    My only comment is that you didn't include 'consumer' in the above definition and that there is no sharp boundary between consumer and producer. The label of consumer or producer can only be invoked in its situated context. In other words, these labels are not static, as implied above, but rather are performed in a situated context. As a user, I generate content that 'producers' (according to the definition above) consume to upgrade their apps or create new apps and products.

  • Nick

    Sorry, “digital media” means digital media, i.e. media that is transmitted by bytes, not analog.
    You can’t just decide that it means an industrial sector which excludes, for instance, non-interactive devices such as pixel billboards and TVs in public spaces.

    Similarly, “new media” and “high tech” are historically time sensitive. Floppy disks were high-tech not so long ago.

    Furthermore, print publications are digital media — right up until output. The Globe and Mail print publication and web site use much the same content, but how can the newspaper be described as “digital media”? — that doesn’t make sense, and yet it is a “vehicle of digital content delivery”. Note that Letters to the Editor are participatory.

    IIRC, our culture went digital 20 years ago, so the term “digital” is redundant; one qualifies only “legacy” media. You don’t say “gasoline automobiles”, but “electric cars”.

    • http://49pixels.ca/ Justin Kozuch

      Hello Nick,

      Thank you for your comment – I can appreciate where you are coming from.

      Perhaps I should have been a bit more clear in my post. The purpose of the June 21st working session was to distill a definition of digital media in terms of our industry. While I would have loved to have come up with a more general definition of digital media, I felt that it was out of scope in terms of this research study. As well, the process for defining digital media in such broad strokes would have been a more inclusive process; meaning to say, I would have invited other digital media advocacy organizations to weigh in with their thoughts.

      In the interest of time (I’ve only got 1 year to conduct this study, so time is of the essence here), I wanted to distill a definition of digital media that was specific to our industry that could be used as a baseline for other tasks related to this study.

      Hopefully, that provides a clearer insight into the definition process. :)

  • Nick

    Sorry, “digital media” means digital media, i.e. media that is transmitted by bytes, not analog.
    You can't just decide that it means an industrial sector which excludes, for instance, non-interactive devices such as pixel billboards and TVs in public spaces.

    Similarly, “new media” and “high tech” are historically time sensitive. Floppy disks were high-tech not so long ago.

    Furthermore, print publications are digital media — right up until output. The Globe and Mail print publication and web site use much the same content, but how can the newspaper be described as “digital media”? — that doesn't make sense, and yet it is a “vehicle of digital content delivery”. Note that Letters to the Editor are participatory.

    IIRC, our culture went digital 20 years ago, so the term “digital” is redundant; one qualifies only “legacy” media. You don't say “gasoline automobiles”, but “electric cars”.

  • http://twitter.com/micksa mick stephenson

    ‘Content’ and ‘mediums’ are two different things. You need to define them separately, or invite misunderstandings like the comment below.

  • http://twitter.com/micksa mick stephenson

    'Content' and 'mediums' are two different things. You need to define them separately, or invite misunderstandings like the comment below.

  • http://refresh-events.ca/blog/ Justin Kozuch

    Hello Nick,

    Thank you for your comment – I can appreciate where you are coming from.

    Perhaps I should have been a bit more clear in my post. The purpose of the June 21st working session was to distill a definition of digital media in terms of our industry. While I would have loved to have come up with a more general definition of digital media, I felt that it was out of scope in terms of this research study. As well, the process for defining digital media in such broad strokes would have been a more inclusive process; meaning to say, I would have invited other digital media advocacy organizations to weigh in with their thoughts.

    In the interest of time (I've only got 1 year to conduct this study, so time is of the essence here), I wanted to distill a definition of digital media that was specific to our industry that could be used as a baseline for other tasks related to this study.

    Hopefully, that provides a clearer insight into the definition process. :)

  • Mark

    I don’t mean to be a pedant, but “mediums” is the plural of “individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits” (Merriam-Webster). I see why you didn’t want to use “media” again to refer to the means of content exchange, but “mediums” is definitely not the right word.

    How about: “Digital content and enabling technologies in which users are afforded…”?

  • Mark

    I don’t mean to be a pedant, but “mediums” is the plural of “individual held to be a channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits” (Merriam-Webster). I see why you didn’t want to use “media” again to refer to the means of content exchange, but “mediums” is definitely not the right word.

    How about: “Digital content and enabling technologies in which users are afforded…”?