傳播的想像：論媒介生態學

Abstract

在今日社會中，隨著各種傳統媒介的變遷，傳播科技與民眾生活益發緊密，數位匯流的新趨勢往往成了各種發展的具體脈絡。本文由此出發，探討上個世紀以來，台灣社會中不同媒介同時並存的媒介生態學概念，並對近來在媒介環境學上的譯名爭議有所回應。結論指出，與媒介環境學相較，作為方法概念的媒介生態學，更適合用來指涉媒介新技術所帶來的各種影響。而其從整體關係出發的思維方式，一方面揭示出當代的傳播視野，二方面則闡述了傳播想像不妄下定論的特質，繼而使得過往在大眾傳播下被做為標籤的科技決定論，有著可被期待的人文基礎。

Following digital convergence, the press starts new adventures beyond its traditional business scope, in search for new platforms in the internet. Some extend to audio-visual journalism, others ally with radio broadcasters. As a result, conventional communication boundaries start to be blurred, and this trend is ever more intensified by touch screens of smart phones. With this in mind, this essay explores the term “media ecology” as understood in Taiwan, by juxtaposing it with some other related ideas, comparing their respective references, meantime responding to the controversy over its Chinese translations, i.e., “媒介生態學 vs. “媒介環境學”. The author concludes by suggesting a preference for the former, arguing that, if grasped as a methodological notion, it（媒介生態學）serves far better than the latter（媒介環境學）for referring to social reconfigurations and cultural impacts brought up by new media technologies. A more humanistic view of media ecology tends to focus on quality issues about civilization process. In contrast, giving a holistic description of the structural characteristics of a specific media industry could be seen as media ecology of mass media.