Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Multimedia & Transmedia in Society

Two terms that contain the word "media" in them, that have had a significant effect on popular culture are multimedia and transmedia. Without a doubt, the majority of people today have experienced these two even if they have no idea of what they are. With technology advancing and more people being able to easily spread whatever message they want to, multimedia and transmedia have become part of our lives and it has affected the way we consume media. 

Multimedia, a term that might sound more familiar to people, consists of a single message or story that is expressed on multiple platforms. This means that nothing about the content of a story changes besides the fact that it might be displayed in a different way. One example of something that experiences this so called multimedia are movies. It all begins in movie theaters where it is first shown at, and then the same movie transfers into different types of medium such as DVD or other devices. It makes the same content more available and easily accessible since they are mostly everywhere. Multimedia can be related to a a physical reaction in the science field, where a substance changes its appearance while its content is still the same. 

You can now watch TV on multiple devices

Transmedia is what less people know about, yet it is what has influenced them the most. This consists of different platforms coming together to tell a story. Each platform contains different content about a same topic but when combined with other types of medium they build a common story. This is very different from multimedia where a single story is spread out in different areas of media. Here there is more interest put into whatever the story might be since there are parts that have to be put together in order to understand the entire work. It is similar to a puzzle which entertains people by teasing their brains and challenging them to make something that has a fascinating outcome. 

Star Wars in Popular Culture
A very common example of transmedia in popular culture is portrayed with Star Wars. I am actually a big fan of this franchise that has accomplished to get a lot of money out of me. In my younger years I used to collect the toys, I was immersed in the whole Star Wars culture and this was all a result of transmedia. The more items I collected the better I understood the saga and it is something that I couldn't prevent myself from doing. From action figures, to video games, to halloween customs, this is a movement that started almost 40 years ago and still continues to impact people all over the world.

Popular culture will be forever influenced by transmedia due to how effective it is. I am living proof that transmedia fully engages people to participate in whatever and I know for a fact that this is the case for most of us. We were once children that showed loyalty to something in particular and even today we are still fans of something. It can be fashion, music, TV shows and many different things that are so available and trending that even if we try not to pay attention them, we still fall into the trap. That's why transmedia is so effective, because people would go out there to attain anything that's part of what they have become fans of. It is part of today's society and with the amount of platforms that exist more audience is captivated by anything that seems interesting and entertaining. 


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