How did the mass media develop and how does digital technology fit into the media landscape?
Tools and media don't develop only for technical reasons. Film, television, radio and the telephone all evolved in different ways as social, economic and cultural pressures combined.
The Web is relatively young in the media landscape. There is still the possibility to reach a large number of people without having the high costs of distribution that exist for television and film.
New digital technologies such as DV camcorders, Firewire, and Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) have quickly changed the world for media artists. The cost of producing high-quality work has dropped dramatically.
As the technology has become more affordable the tools have become easier to use. Now artists are producing work that remains in a digital form from start to finish. The old rules no longer apply. Artists can now explore non-linear narrative and can experiment with new ways of telling a story and of constructing meaning.