Media as authority

—and how this changes the lives of individuals in the current period. In the past, media was mainly used as a means to maintain authority or sustain a system through surveillance, control or blockage of information. In the 21st century, however, different forms of media influence each other through sharing, participation and diffusion. It is now changing into a strategic tool for individuals or minority groups. The current change confirms the prediction made by Nam June Paik, who observed that even televisions would cease to function as a means of one-way communication and become a participatory, interactive medium. A new generation of artists recognizes media as a living organism: when they work together, they can disseminate information or opinions on certain events of the society in a terrifying pace, overthrowing existing systems and networks of information or proposing new ways of interpretation.

Source: e-flux