The title of Thomas de Zengotita's book, "Mediated: How the Media Shapes Your World and How You Live in It" might lead you to believe this is merely another book about how our media shapes our viewpoints. However, because de Zengotita defines mediation as anything that allows you to deal with reality through something else, it ends up being a much deeper examination of how our very reality is transformed.
First, let's take a look at an unmediated environment. It is not only the lack of electronic devices or other media, such as books or magazines that constitute an unmediated environment. Say your car breaks down in remote Alaska. You step out into the wild environment where nothing has been created or shaped for your convenience or benefit (though your clothes will mediate between you and the climate). This is close to an unmediated environment. De Zengotita makes the point, in a mediated world, you have multiple options and choices. Here you can read a book or a magazine, play a board game or listen to music, and each of these activities offers thousands of choices of what to read, or listen to, or play. He notes when someone says "get real" or "reality hits," this indicates a person's choices have narrowed considerably; one's options are limited.
Another point he makes is reality is becoming difficult to distinguish from representational reality. For example, people all over the country can remember where they were and what they were doing the day President John F. Kennedy was shot. People spontaneously told their own stories of when Kennedy was shot because the mediated viewpoint was more informative and "real" than if you were present in one spot in the crowd. TV provided multiple camera angles and reams of coverage.
De Zengotita contrasts this to people who read or heard about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. These people did not feel as if they were there, nor did they go on to discuss where and what they were doing at the time of the attack.
De Zengotita shows the change in our propensity toward self-reflection and the varying degrees of awareness we have of being actors on a stage. For example, Princess Diana's millions of mourners assembled in the streets were truly grieving and at the same time knew they were performing on a stage being filmed and televised. Another example is if you are going about your business wearing an old comfortable shirt, and then run into someone you want to impress and suddenly become aware of your attire and its effect or message to others.
One of the things I liked was that de Zengotita manages to discuss dense philosophical ideas in a colloquial and breezy manner. I also liked the fact you come away with a different way of looking at reality after reading his book.
Kira Michaelieu is a librarian who wears many different hats at Missouri River Regional Library.