Interactivity the refurbished concept

Interactivity is not something that has come with the industrial revolution or over a period of time. Interactivity already existed in a number of ways.
Both classical and modern art was always interactive. Artists and other media producers create work with missing detail and other ‘representational shortcuts’ that enable the viewer to become more involved and piece together the hidden meanings or information that allow the piece of work to achieve its purpose. Interactive art placing’s allow viewers to come in and interact by ‘walking’ around them and ‘observe’ them and or getting the artist to become part of an exhibition or artwork.
Old media forms such as theatre and cinema rely on cinematic techniques such as composition and staging to catch and hold the viewer’s attention, enabling the viewers to comprehend with what is going on, either on stage or on screen.
Manovich then also talks about sculpture and architecture as interactive forms of media. He states that the viewer has not only to visually interact, involving feelings and inspiration, but to move there self around the work and interacting through touch if allowed.
With the introduction and evolution of new media forms, has come a lot more physical interaction between the media object and the user. For example, pressing a button, touching a screen or moving to a sensor. Many people think that physical interaction is the only way to interact with a media form. “There is danger that we interpret "interaction" literally”, but in the 1920’s the introduction of new narrative techniques such as film montage taught audiences to think between the lines and piece together the unrelated images which involved both mental and visual interaction.

Manovich, L. (2002). What is New Media and Principles of New Media from The Language of New Media . MIT Press.