The Medium of Media: The Past, Present, and Future of Personal Screens

Abstract

We live in a screen culture. Most Americans rise, labor, and rest to the glow of a screen. In Western culture, screens developed as a means to provide visual entertainment. Now they serve as the common medium that displays nearly all digital media. We work, read, and entertain ourselves facing the screen, from computers to televisions to films and video games. Even traditionally paper-based mediums, like books and newspapers, are increasingly experienced through a screen. Screens have evolved to fit our needs, and our lives have evolved to fit screens.” This essay examines the historical trajectory of the personal screen, examining its origins in cinema and television, the cultural and environmental effects of screen technology, and the current state of the personal screen in order to predict the look and purpose of screens in the future. The essay focuses on screens for personal use only, such as computer, television, mobile, and gaming screens, and the relationship between the technology and the user.