On the material and the symbolic: Silverstone’s double articulation of research traditions in new media studies

Imagine the typical suburban living room, a post-war creation co-evolving with the rise of consumer society as a communal family space, replacing the Goffmanian division of public and private spaces -formal parlour for guests, all-purpose 'back room' for family -that preceded it. 1This living room contains, and displays to its occupants and visitors, many objects of both symbolic value and material worth: the three piece suite of sofa and armchairs, the nest of coffee tables, an assortment of lamps, decorative objects and photographs.And, significantly, a fast-changing set of consumer goods that are distinct from the foregoing: the television set, now wide screen, increasingly digital, the DVD player with its accompanying shelf of popular titles, the HiFi with CD player and radio, the computer with internet access squeezed into a corner, and last, left lying on various items of furniture, someone's mobile phone, Ipod or Blackberry.