The Analysis Of The Evolution Of Printing From The Perspective Of Technological Mediation Theory

Printing technology is the technology that serves the culture communication and knowledge acquisition. As the printing technology advances, people are increasingly inseparable from the technology. It becomes a part of people’s lives that intertwined in the living world, and gradually becomes an indispensable mediation which contacts people and the world. Especially with the development of the Internet, network technology makes the people’s reading habits having undergone a qualitative change towards a modern digital reading from traditional paper-based reading. The "fast-food" way of reading is a new practice and the way of life. In the process of printing that the paper as a carrier to the data-carrier, the printing technology has experienced three stages:tools, mechanization and digitalization. Tool stage mainly for printing technology monopoly attributed of political and religious authority as a control tool; mechanization stage’s performance improved in printing technology to play role of "reduce burden", at the same time, also began to pull away for "Zuhandenheit" becoming more transparent; digitization stage was wrapped by "technology cocoon", people indulge in the digit symbol constructed the virtual world.The evolution of printing technology not only plays an important role in social life change, but also exerts a subtle influence on the way of human being’s existence, cognitive ability and emotional activity. Mainly as follows:firstly, people enhanced the dependence of printing technology, and the digital printing technology brings the fragmentation of reading and interactive experience putting people in digital "technology cocoon "; secondly, people’s overall thinking ability is weakened by digital printing technology that the irrational cognitive style will be placed in the virtual entertainment and leisure experience resulting in excessive strengthening shallow memory; finally, the individuality of the digital printing technology makes personal knowledge and breaks the traditional identity boundary. As the formation of groups of wisdom, technology also caused interpersonal alienation.The evolution of printing technology is the result of people’s self and social demand. Analysis of the evolution of printing from the perspective of technological mediation theory not only helps to understand the essential characteristics of printing technology, but also helps to deepen the study of technological mediation theory.