Lucy L. Henke

University of New Hampshire

Many studies have examined the potential for new communications media to
displace established media ( Henke & Donohue, 1986; Henke, Donohue, Cook,
& Chung, 1984; Krugman & Rust, 1987; Lasswell, 1949; Rubin, 1983). By
delivering services and content more efficiently or effectively, new media may
threaten to capture the audiences and advertisers of existing media, thereby
causing existing media to redefine themselves to survive. The emergence of
radio - and then television - as mass media, and the introduction of cable
television, videotext, teletext, the VCR, and digital cable radio have each caused
researchers to speculate about whether new technologies would displace existing
media or have a synergistic effect. Because new media have the potential to
disrupt existing audience structures, advertisers must constantly assess the
ability of various media to deliver appropriate target markets and attempt to
integrate new technologies into marketing communications campaigns.

A related issue is the question of whether new communications media
displace other activities besides media use. McLuhan's admonition that "the
medium is the message" reminded media researchers that societies may be
affected by the medium - what they communicate with - at least as much as they
are affected by the content of the mediated message ( McLuhan & Fiore, 1967).
Time spent watching television, for example, is time not spent engaged in other
activities. The question of nonmedia-related displacement is significant as a
marketing or advertising issue, as well as an issue of broader social concern:
What happens if broadcasting a local football game results in decreased
attendance, or if the opening of a video store results in less business for local
restaurants? Viewed from the social perspective, what if the introduction of a

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