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Constructing the Meaning of Digital Television in Britain, the United States and Australia

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore tigweber{at}ntu.edu.sg

VANESSA EVANS

Starcom Worldwide, Sydney vanessa.evans{at}starcomworldwide.com.au

Much has been written about digital television. Mainstream reports range from a vague televisual utopia where one need never unplug oneself from the TV ever again to the social realities and practicalities of a consumer driven market. This study examines how the media constructs the meaning of digital television in Britain, the United States and Australia. Rogers' (1983, 1995) diffusion of innovation theory to assess the rate of diffusion the role that media communication (language) plays in this process. It uses a content analysis methodology to examine 1836 digital television articles, drawn from mainstream newspaper publications from 1996 to January 2002. Results from the analysis show a correlation between the extent of media coverage; the media's strategic, flexible and timed use of technological determinism—social construction language structures; and the degree and success of the diffusion of digital television in these research settings.

Key Words: communication • diffusion of innovation • digital television • social construction • technological determinism

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