Heroes and humans: An examination of the relationship between media environments and conceptions of the hero

This study is concerned with the relationship between media and culture, focusing on the relationship between media environments, the various technologies, techniques, and forms of communication used within a given society, and culture heroes, human figures admired by an entire society. Since such admirers only "know" their heroes through some form of mediated communication, it is argued that media environments are intimately related to cultural conceptions of the hero, and changes in media environments are likewise related to changes in the concept of the hero.;This study considers the relationship between media environments and conceptions of the hero in three different cultures: 8th century B.C.E. Greece, 17th century England, and 20th century America. Each of these cultures are associated with a different type of media environment: oral, typographic, and electronic, respectively. For each culture, the key characteristics of the media environment and of the concept of the hero are described, and the relationship between the two are examined. The characteristics of the media environment include transmission of information over space, storage of information over time, the accessibility of information, the volume of information made accessible, the speed at which information is disseminated, and the form in which information is presented. The characteristics of the concept of the hero include abilities, occupation, social status, character, appearance, acts performed and the scene in which they are performed, and the relationship between heroes and admirers in terms of space and time.;This study examines the mechanisms by which factors such as the limited storage capacity and dependence on mnemonics of oral cultures tend to result in mythical and legendary heroes, literacy and the increased volume of information disseminated tend to result in historical and realistic heroes, and the audiovisual form and increased speed of transmission of electronic cultures tend to result in celebrities. The study concludes with several generalizations about how changes in media environments influence changes in conceptions of the hero.