), as well as in the social situation, which in turn depends on a variety of aspects, such as gender, culture, learning style etc.
In the case of the Watergate Affair, for example, the transfer of information with the help of television was only successful in the form of secondary reporting.
In contrast to, for example, content analysis or reception or learner research, the scientific study of media adequacy is relatively new.
Meanwhile, in many areas there is the possibility (and opportunity, but often also the compulsion) to work cross-medially, so that the question of the appropriate (media-adequate) presentation of content becomes urgent.
The approaches of Herbert Marshall McLuhan are well known,[4] as is the "media richness theory" by Richard Daft and Robert Lengel.
Relatively new, however, is the attempt to link media theory statements with studies on cognitive styles.,[7][8] Usually it is referred to traditional teaching, and it of course has to be taken into consideration that there are differences between information processing and learning (Rehder/Hoffmann 2005).
[9] The common factor, however, is how one takes in and processes information[10] and might even be able to adopt to new developments, to solve problems and reaches decisions.
[11] A pioneering theoretical approach to this is, for example, the "cognitive load theory"[12] that relates considerations from Robert J. Sternberg[13] to media effects.
It assumes that under ideal (and free) conditions learners organise the learning process in accordance with their cognitive abilities.
[15] Obviously, mirror neurons become active when they see corresponding efforts by other learners, so that their self-motivation and ultimately their learning success increases.
[16] Perhaps this explains the findings of Baruch and Nicholson,[17] who observed that learners with a high tendency to avoid uncertainty - i.e. who have only a low willingness to take risks - tend to feel uncomfortable with self-learning media.
In assessing whether the use is meaningful at all, the observation that a media-supported information transfer is fundamentally more time-intensive than traditional learning also seems significant.
[18] Accordingly, it is important to use media-supported learning materials in such a way that the added value in terms of content is correspondingly high and the majority of learners benefit from it.