Through the “means”. Critique for a (communication) media theory

Abstract

The text at hand is structured as a historical-conceptual study of “means” as a concept, contrasting it with similar terms, such as media and medium. After a brief etymological study, we analyze the specificities of the inherent relationality of that concept, illustrated by the preposition “through” or “by means of”, in contrast to terms like prosthesis, sign and channel, often treated by Communication Studies as synonyms for “means”. Our goal here is not only to argue the pertinence of a media theory (or studies), but also to outline their particularities in the face of communicational, instrumental and semiotic approaches.

Keywords media studies; media philosophy; epistemology of communication; medium