Jonathan Steuer

Jonathan Steuer (born December 3, 1965 in Wisconsin) is a pioneer in online publishing.

In addition to leading the launch teams of a number of early and influential online publishing ventures (such as HotWired, the first ad-supported web magazine, and c|net’s online operations), his article " [http://www.presence-research.org/papers/steuer92defining.pdf Defining virtual realities: Dimensions determining telepresence] ,” is widely cited in academic and industry literature. Originally published in 1992 in the Journal of Communication 42, 73-9, it has been reprinted in Communication in the Age of Virtual Reality (1995), F. Biocca & M. R. Levy (Eds.).

Steuer’s vividness and interactivity matrix from that article appeared in Wired magazine circa 1995 and has been particularly influential in shaping the discourse by defining virtual reality in terms of human experience, rather than technological hardware, and setting out vividness and interactivity as axial dimensions of that experience. Steuer’s notablity in diverse arenas as a scholar, architect, and instigator of new media is documented in multiple, independent, non-trivial, published works.

Some books and print articles that discuss Steuer’s role in the web publishing industry that emerged in San Francisco in the 1990s:

*Net Voice in the City by Yoshihiro Kaneda, ASCII Corporation, Japan, 1997, pp. 88-107

*Architects of the Web by Robert H. Reid, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1997, pp. 289-292, 296-297, 299-300, 302-303.

*“Webheads on Ramona Street,” by Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, Issue 722, November 30, 1995.

Some books and print that draw on Steuer’s definitions of virtual reality and telepresence:

*Cyberspace/Cyberbodies/Cyberpunk, Mike Featherstone and Roger Burrows (Eds.), Sage Publications, London, 1995.

*“Experienced presence within computer-mediated communications: Initial explorations on the effects of gender with respect to empathy and immersion” (2005). Nicovich, S. G., Boller, G. W., and Cornwell, T. B. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 10(2), article 6.

*“Proposing the content perception theory for the online content industry – a structural equation modeling” (2004), Kuo-Fang Peng, Yi-Wen Fan, Tong-An Hsu, Industrial Management & Data Systems Volume 104 Number 6 2004 pp. 469-489.

*“The Effects of Progressive Levels of Interactivity and Vividness in Web Marketing Sites“, Coyle, James R. ; Thorson, Esther. Journal of Advertising, 22 September, 2001.

*“Marketing in Hypermedia Computer-Mediated Environments: Conceptual Foundations“, by Donna L. Hoffman; Thomas P. Novak. Journal of Marketing, 1996.
*“Interactivity in Distance Learning: The Digital Divide and Student Satisfaction,” by Larry R. Irons, Donald J. Jung, and Robert O. Keel. Educational Technology & Society 5 (3) 2002 (ISSN 1436-4522).

Besides the printed works above, Steuer’s article is cited in many online works, a few of which are listed here:
http://www.educause.edu/apps/er/erm07/erm0710.asp?bhcp=1
http://www.raphkoster.com/gaming/book/3c.shtml
http://astro.temple.edu/~lombard/InfoSys/98/Coyle.htm
http://hyperion.math.upatras.gr/richmedia/proj/sirm.html
http://www.presence-research.org/papers/Botella.html

Steuer has been a consultant and senior executive for a number of other online media startups: CNet, ZDTV, Sawyer Media Systems and Scient.

Steuer has an AB in Philosophy from Harvard University, and a PhD in Communication Theory & Research from Stanford University. There, his doctoral dissertation concerned "Vividness and Source of Evaluation as Determinants of Social Responses Toward Mediated Representations of Agency".

A longtime resident of the Bay Area, today Steuer resides in New York City.