An Analysis on Media Projections of Information Technology

This paper reports on an interpretive research on media projections concerning information technologies. For modeling the changes in projection states, total 25,216 pieces of newspaper articles were collected from daily newspapers in Korea, using ´computer´ as search keywords. Three projection states were used as an interpretive lens: (1) technology as a tool, (2) technology as a social construction, and (3) technology as autonomous artifacts. Collected newspaper articles were put into content filtering using related keywords of these three projection states. As a result, linear progression of projection states was found from tool view towards autonomous view. From 1965 to 1979, information technology was primarily projected as a tool on media, but after 1980 when personal computers were begun to infiltrate our life, it seems that media began to realize social construction characteristics of information technology. After 1995 when the Internet became popular, views reflecting autonomous state of information technology were exponentially increased.