Research Themes

Emerging technologies are transforming the practices of storytelling, teaching, and artistic expression. CMS studies new forms of popular art and entertainment, ranging from computer games to digital cinema, and the social networks that are created around them. CMS at MIT is a center for examining this shifting media landscape, hoping to offer a new vocabulary that will enable media practitioners to better understand these new modes of expression.

Through its research projects, symposia, and outreach programs, CMS explores the social, economic and cultural impact of digital technologies and their analog forebearers. CMS research and educational projects examine a wide variety of traditional media and their uses in education, entertainment, communication, politics, and commerce.

CMS faculty are widely recognized for developing interactive projects and creating new models for producing and using digital media. We develop prototypes which will have real world applications. These initiatives are governed by our underlying commitment to "applied humanities," taking what we know in theory and using it to create practical applications in this period of profound media change.

Historically, this work has been shaped by several core themes:

• Creativity and Collaboration in the Digital Age
• Media in Transition
• Transforming Humanities Education
• Generation.org: Childhood and Adolescence in a Hypermediated Society
• Global Culture and Media
• The Informed Citizen and the Culture of Democracy

These themes illustrate some of the program's core interests and commitments, but we remain open to students who want to explore a broader range of topics through their work. As the media environment changes, our core themes and projects shift to take advantage of new opportunities and respond to new challenges.