ABSTRACT
How do ‘new’ media become old? What determines the ‘newness’ of a technology? This introductory chapter engages questions related to history, technology, culture, and communication as well as examines the cultural context in which a new technology informs our understanding of its changing identity. The success and failure of new technologies depends heavily on the cultural expectations of its emergence. This study of early ‘speculative era’ television begins with a foundation in the history and theory of new media and a call to adopt an historically reflective view of technological development. After laying a foundation for the study of ‘new’ media and technological change, this chapter provides an overview of the chapters and what to expect.
