From Background to Embodiment: A Study of Human-Machine Interaction in the Post-Television Era

As information technology advances rapidly, television’s position as a traditional medium is challenged in the post-television era, and human-machine interaction patterns undergo significant changes. Based on Idhe’s “human-technology relationship” theory, this study identifies six unique human-machine relationships: background, situational, connective, composite, heteronomous, and embodied. These are integrated into a three-tier interactive framework. In separated scenarios, television serves as a background for interpersonal interaction, performing spatial division and companionship functions. Its technical affordances enhance or constrain human-machine interaction and influence viewing experiences. As the development of technology, television is moving toward the large-screen era. Under the human-machine integration trend, it will become a medium for entering virtual spaces, enabling deeper communication through embodied interaction. This study enriches human-machine relationship theory and provides theoretical support for understanding the interaction between media technology and social relationships. It is of significant academic and practical value.