Theorists have coined approaches that relate media and the environment. The media ecology theory, for instance, is a great theory that studies the media, technology and communication concerning its impact on human environments.
As the term suggests, there is the term ecology which refers to the environment occupied by both the living and non-living organisms that are influenced in one way of the other by media. Media ecology as a theory, therefore, has lots of benefits that should be understood for the effective relationship of the media and the environment (Barr, 2019, p. 341).
Here are some of the most notable benefits of media ecology theory and approaches:
1. Enhances the Study of Media-Related Technology and Its Impact on the Environment
Media ecology scholars tend to be concerned and focus majorly on the nature of the technologies available in the field of media. They study and develop theories that examine media technology, its evolution and the role it plays in human life.
For instance, Zhao et al., (2016, p. 89), has clearly and critically argued that the technical methods had made the dominant value in contemporary societies efficiently and effectively. In this manner, the study of media ecology and the understanding of the available theories enhance the knowledge of media technology about human nature and functioning in their environment.
2. Assists In Understanding New Media and Its Influence on Life
Technology has brought about lots of innovative approaches in the media sector. For instance, there are improvements in social media and even mainstream media. These improvements and achievements have significantly changed how people live their lives every day.
The use of media ecology, therefore, assists in the understanding of these developments to link up the use of new media and human life and wellbeing. Media ecology, for instance, links the use of new media to the traditions and customs as well as cultural beliefs to showcase the changes in the environment that change life significantly.
For instance, Veltri and Atanasova, (2017, p. 271), tries to explain that the telephone was a great breakthrough in the utilization of media and the past. The development of technology has influenced this, and social media now overtakes the telephone as a great medium of communication or exchange.
3. Enhances the Understanding of Human Perception Concerning Media Use
Media ecology theorists have explained, significantly that media is a vital aspect of human perception and viewpoint. The medium of communication, for instance, has a great impact on the perspective of an individual.
For instance, when something is communicated through the mainstream media via the journalists, the members of the public will take it seriously since they believe it is the truth. However, when the same or even a different version of the communication is made via social media or by bloggers, it is not taken, seriously since it may be biased (Veltri and Atanasova, 2017, p. 277).
Therefore, media ecology is concerned with the understanding, the value, the feeling and the perception of an individual. In this regard, it examines how interaction with various media changes individual perception and influences their survival.
Conclusion
In summation, it is vital to emphasize that media ecology as a theory has had lots of application, most of which have come in the relating of the theory to human life and media. As such, it has led to lots of benefits among human beings concerning their environment.
Bibliography
Veltri, G.A. and Atanasova, D., 2017. Climate change on Twitter: Content, media ecology and information sharing behaviour. Public Understanding of Science, 26(6), pp.721-737.
Barr, R., 2019. Growing up in the digital age: early learning and family media ecology. Current directions in psychological science, 28(4), pp.341-346.
Zhao, X., Lampe, C. and Ellison, N.B., 2016, May. The social media ecology: User perceptions, strategies and challenges. In Proceedings of the 2016 CHI conference on human factors in computing systems (pp. 89-100).
