Presence in the past : what can we learn from media history?

In this chapter we describe the historical development of cinema, television, telerobotics, and virtual environments, with emphasis on their psychological impact, in particular the experience of presence, or sense of 'being there' in a mediated environment. Tracing the roots of today's media technology, we find that media development seems to follow a relentless path towards greater perceptual realism, with current reproductions and simulations of reality having an unprecedented perceptual impact and immediacy. Yet people's responses to media do not appear to be a linear product of the extent of sensory information that the medium provides. Instead, they are very much shaped by people's previous experiences with and expectations towards media Le. their media schemata. The current chapter aims to provide a historical context from which lessons can be drawn that may inform our current media research and development efforts.