Cross-media Communications are integrated, interactive experiences that occur across multiple media, with multiple authors and have multiple styles. The audience becomes an active part in a cross-media experience. It is experiences that occur across the Internet, video and film, broadcast and cable TV, mobile devices, DVD, print, and radio.The new media aspect of the “cross-media experience” typically involves some level of audience interactivity. In other words, it’s an experience (often a story of sorts) that we “read” by watching movies, dipping into a novel, playing a game, riding a ride, etc.

This textbook was written with Freshman-level Courses in mind. The overarching goal is to provide an overview of cross-media design and development. It is meant to be interdisciplinary and introductory in concept and implementation.

One of the goals of writing this book is to present an informed next-generation look at mass media and mass communications in a time of significant change. Cross-media is not necessarily a new phenomenon, but its time has come to truly flourish. Advertising has always tried to incorporate a unified message across multiple media. Transmedia is a field that explores and creates experiences across multiple media. In the mid to late 90’s the internet boom promised the incorporation of cross-media interactivity into transmedia experiences, but with the dot.com bust those promises have only now come into fruition. Currently, the technology is ubiquitous enough and the culture is more connected than ever. This has enabled more and more interactive cross-media experiences to begin being designed, developed and experienced. We are entering an era where our media experiences will be integrated together and we will be able to interactively participate in these experiences.