What do we mean by “Digital”?

So what do we mean by “Digital”? Well, until the 1980's media relied primarily upon print and analog broadcast models, such as those of television and radio. The last 25 years however has seen a rapid transformation into media which is based upon the use of digital channels, such as the Internet. The idea of “digital” therefore captures both:

1. The development of unique forms of digital media
2. The remaking of more traditional media forms adopting and adapting to the new media technologies

We are witnessing the evolution of a universal interconnected network of communications that blurs the distinction between:

1. Interpersonal and mass communication
2. Public and private communication

But what counts as “digital” is often debated, and is dependent on the definitions used. I think digital can be defined as; “communication technologies that enable or facilitate user-to-user interactivity and interactivity between user and information”.

Interactivity has become the key term for digital. Evolving from the rapid dissemination of the Internet, the digitalization of the media, and media convergence, digital embraces every aspect of how people interact and communicate, and how they are entertained by today’s technologies.