“Nothing New Under the Sun”: You CAN Teach an Old Dog New Tricks.

I present the commonly used anecdotal phrase “nothing new under the sun” as the main title of my post because it seems to provide an accurate synopsis of the article.  The authors do a compelling job towards the end of the article providing examples of how media has transformed and evolved, however pointing out that each transformation was birthed from a previous thought or ideal.  I’d like to agree and add that there are no new inventions or ideas, only fresh implementations.

In addition to every new form of media being derivative from ancestral concepts of media and communication, one should understand that every new form of media must pay homage.  In the context of paying homage, one must understand that in order for advancement to occur, wisdom must be bestowed and examples must be lead.  New media cannot be created without grandfather direction.  Traditional media will never die, it will only age gracefully.

Myself, born of parents reared in the 1950s and possessing a grandparent boasting 87 years of age, I am no stranger to tradition.  To help you view my opinion, I will be new media and the scary transitional phase that seems to disturb and intimidate the individuals of whom the authors were referring.  I enjoy bi-directional, non-linear and interactive media as much as the next youth in my generation and I am capable of manipulating and creating new advents of the sort.  However, paying homage to my parents (old media), I enjoy a tangible newspaper, eating at the dinner table, dusty records of Earth, Wind & Fire and Patti LaBelle and I refer to those traditions to perfect my enjoyment of the new advents.  Although I can log into Pandora and find all of these artist or surf the net for the latest news; there’s something classy, something sophisticated about tradition, about paying homage, about preserving what lead me to the new creations. Old media possesses a certain je ne sais quoi.

There is no need for us to think that new media will hurry the demise and death of old media because it must continue to observe its ancestor to be reinvented.  The newness of the current was derived from the newness of its ancestor, although dated now, once being the fear factor of its predecessor.

So you see, there’s nothing new under the sun and you can teach an old dog new tricks.  New media is just a reinvention of old media and if it respects its ancestors like I do, it’ll continue to pay homage by gathering wisdom and functionality from its progenitor, to become better.  Old media shouldn’t worry, it will always be needed for example, for reference and for the individuals like me, who simply appreciate its evident sophistication and purity.