The audiovisual ghetto blaster effect

In this paper I explore the transition from static to mobile audiovisual media and the implications of this transition in the construction of collective or individualised audiovisual experiences. The focus is on how the transition from static to mobile technologies enables novel audiovisual experiences in the public realm. To explore the transition, I delve into how technological developments reduced the size of the devices that facilitate the display of audiovisual content, and how the size constrains or expands the affordances for interaction with audiovisual media in public space. Although the current trend of reducing the size and improving battery autonomy of portable electronic devices might amplify the isolation from the immediate environment and lessen opportunities to engage with other people in the public realm, I argue that with the incorporation of mini or embedded speakers and portable projectors into portable electronic devices (PED) audiovisual content can be brought back into the public space.