Communication Technology...

I am personally not one to spend hours in front of the computer; but my frequent use of it for assignments, research or to keep in touch with friends, has built a greater appreciation for it. This appreciation grew into a realisation that without it, my everyday life would not run as smoothly as it does and my routine tasks would not be so convenient as they are today, thanks to the help of technology.
The development of society lead to a growth in the communication/technology realm. Many began to realise that there were ways to improve everyday life with convenience, entertainment and a greater link with the wider world.
A few key theories stand out from the study of Media Theory, Marshall McLuhan and Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky. McLuhan's theory, published in 1964, explored the effects of media throughout society. This theory studied the different media effects on physical senses. I believe this theory has formed a foundation of media development by using these elements to maximise the affects on the minds and responses of the audience.
An outake of Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky's 'The Propaganda Model' developed in the 1980s described their opinion on how the Return of Maximum effects has shaped how technology has been developed to target the audience in a specific way. "
We noted that the five factors involved -- ownership, advertising, sourcing, flak, and anticommunist ideology -- work as "filters" through which information must pass, and that individually and often in additive fashion they help shape media choices." (The Propaganda Model Revisited; Edward S. Herman, Monthly Review, July, 1996)
This is my first year at Griffith and my second tutorial in New Communication Technologies. At first I wondered why I am in this subject... but slowly and surely my assumptions and expectations are challenged. I now realise that the past theories and foundations of communication technology research are vital to the growth and progress for future ventures and development.