A framework of transmediation

Abstract

The concept of transmediation might be one of the most influential intellectual tools for studying, discussing and fostering innovative phenomena across fields of study. One could argue that the term itself is self-explanatory. Etymologically, it suggests a transition (to go across) between different media but the concept of transmediation has been shaped both by the somewhat historically lax definition of media and the disciplines that have adopted the term. And while the looseness of media gives transmediation a potential for interdisciplinarity, the siloed nature of academic disciplines could have, at the same time, hindered such potential. In this paper, we introduce a framework for transmediation based on an analysis of the use and evolution of the concept and our own explorations over the last few years. This framework aims to provide a common language and a set of conceptual prompts to explore the notion of transmediation further.