Interactivity with reference to Pierre Levy

          Definition: If users receive real-time feedback from a computer so that they can modify                                the use of the machine, the hardware, software, or content, the system                                         is said to be interactive. 

Pierre Levy

        But Pierre Levy instead describes it as a word that has become vague and now has a much wider meaning. But he does imply that interactivity is a significant characteristic distinguishing key digital media from earlier commercial or popular forms.

 Interactivity has brought around the death of mass marketing. Instead of targeting all  audiences advertisements are now directed at a particular audiences and now because

of elements such as social networking people are only shown adverts that relate to 

their interests  or things they have bought previously, this is similar to retail websites and Google. 

Adverts need engagement from viewers and now that more and more people fast

forward through adverts they instead cover the internet on side bars or before 

You tube videos. this means the viewer has to click on a hyperlink or button. The 

content is now physically engaging not just representational.    

"Digital media allow the consumer to become a part 

of the campaign. The most powerful new medium we have

discovered is not digital, but rather the consumers themselves."

- Wiedemann 2006 

Levy made the point that it would be difficult to prove that an information receiver is ever passive. Everyone reacts differently to information, whether it be a conversation on the telephone with some friends or a television programme. By making things more interactive it means that the consumer can have a product more personalised to their tastes. An example of this could be televisions, you can now change the frame of the television, the brightness, whether you want a commentary and you can also set programmes to record or set reminders. 

There are now a lot of two way communications within technology that such as social networking sites, instant messaging, online gaming and of course the telephone. Especially due to the influences of the newer media influences Levy compares interactivity to virtuality. This is quite true in media such as computer games and social networking, in which you can change and develop profiles and almost create another world. 

Interactivity requires engagement from all users and it places the consumer or the user at the centre of commercial communications. It has also helped to improve telepresence, now that real time communications is becoming better and better not only can people instant message and Skype but face timing on smart phones is also becoming more and more accessible. There is also interactivity in online gaming systems in which you can contend with players on the other side of the globe that you don't even know. 

Levy said that there were several criteria to measure a medium or communications systems interactivity: 

• The ability to ability to appropriate and personalize the received message.
• Reciprocity of the message.
• Virtuality- the processing of the message in real time based on model and input data.
• Telepresence.  

                                                For Pierre Levy's blog click here!