The definition of interactivity seems clear on the surface, but when new mediums are introduced the lines become blurred. When speaking of person-to-person communication, interactivity is clearly the process through which two or more people send and receive information. It is interactive as long as there is more than one person communicating a message.
The article “Defining Interactivity: A Qualitative identification of Key Dimensions” shows that when referring to interactivity and new media most professionals cannot give a clear description and are uncertain of the impact on society. Interactivity is described as ” a traditional communication model with a robust feedback loop,” a new relationship being created between people who create messages and those who receive, and interchangeable communication roles. In the article “Interactivity: a concept explication” it is found that most communication theories share the same idea that feedback is necessary for interactivity to occur.
The evolution of New Media allows consumers to give feedback on received messages and communicate in a new way. Interactivity cannot be clearly defined because different people interact in different ways. If you are the sender of the message you do not have the same views as the receiver and vice versa. As long as the receiver has some type of control over the message, and can provide feedback, the message can be defined as interactive.
