Vocab Term: Multimedia

Definition: This involves the interplay between word and text. Anything that is digitally shown which combines both words and images is considered to be under the umbrella of “multimedia.” Due to most content being in a “multimedia” in format, there are many creators who spend their entire careers trying to understand how to communicate word-images to a designated audience.

DH Source: Digital media is often presented in a multimedia format. This includes websites, web-page content, advertisements, videos, podcasts, articles, and literature. Also included under the umbrella of multimedia involves printed literary work “which includes visual material since they are created with ease with desktop publishing software” (Enberg 528).

Commentary: Being able to have some visual literacy goes a long way when it comes to presenting work in a multimedia format. “Theorists view the reconfigured relationships of word and image in digital media as one in which they operate dialogically in dynamic interplay” (Enberg 528). Being able to present information in a multimedia format allows for new storytelling methods to emerge. Information immediately becomes more consumable and perhaps even more widespread. Further, multimedia serves to create a more immersive experience for others, which then helps people to understand the message you’re trying to convey.

Maria Engberg. “Word-Image” The Johns Hopkins Guide to Digital Media, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014.