Medium theory has been an important framework for understanding the information society since the mid-20th century. With the rapid development of social media, traditional media theories are constantly being re-examined and re-applied. Notably, Marshall McLuhan’s ‘The medium is the message’ has become one of the most influential and controversial ideas (McLuhan, 2017). While we are immersed in the content of Weibo, TikTok and Instagram, it is not the content we watch that really shapes our way of thinking and behaviour, but the medium of social media itself. Therefore, it is necessary to critically analyse the applicability and impact of media theory in the age of social media.
Media Theory and the Transformation of Contemporary Social Media
Traditional media theories such as agenda-setting theory and cultivation theory focus on explaining how media content influences audiences (Jeffres et al., 2008). However, in the age of social media, media theory is confronted with new mechanisms of communication. Messages have shifted from centralised institutions to decentralised individuals, and the mode of communication has changed from “minority to majority” to “majority to majority” (Pulido et al., 2018). For example, in platforms such as TikTok, Weibo, and Instagram, the dissemination of content no longer relies on elite editors or journalists, but on algorithmic recommendations and user interaction. In this day and age, this shift raises new questions: does the significance of the content of a medium still determine its effectiveness? Is there a shift in the power of information held by the media? In this context, McLuhan’s media theory is particularly important. According to McLuhan (1964), the form of the medium shapes human perception and behavioural patterns more profoundly than the content carried by the medium. In other words, how the medium says something is more important than what it says.
Media Forms Reshape User Behaviour
In the case of TikTok, for example, the core media form is not the video content itself, but short videos + infinite scrolling + personalised algorithms. These characteristics of the medium dictate that users’ attention is fragmented and content is extremely entertaining or emotional to maximise dwell time. Hasim and Sherlina’s (2022) study shows that the average attention span of TikTok users is only a few seconds, reinforcing a culture of instant feedback and light expression. This reinforces a culture of “instant feedback” and “light expression”. Even serious issues, such as climate change, are often forced to be presented in a fun, challenging or emotional way in order to go viral. This reflects McLuhan’s view that the form of the medium changes the way content is presented and understood.
Performances in Social Media
Instagram’s medium is characterised by a visual prioritisation of self-presentation. As such, it does not just deliver images, but promotes a “presentable lifestyle”, and Smith’s (2018) research suggests that the “ins travel photo aesthetic” drives young people to consume destination travel rather than the experience itself. It is the form of the medium that shapes social values, not the content itself.
Critical Reflections on Medium Theory
In social media, content is not completely engulfed by the form of the medium. The #MeToo movement, for example, is a case in point. While the format of microblogs and tweets contributed to the rapid spread of the topic, it was the political power of the text itself that really changed the social fabric – the victim narrative, the exposure of gender inequality and the collective resonance of the community. Thus, there is an interaction between the medium and the content, rather than the medium replacing the content. Furthermore, McLuhan’s theory was born in an era when audiences were seen as passive consumers. In social media, however, users are both content consumers and producers.
References
Hasim, H., and Sherlina, L. (2022). TikTok social media as a means of small and medium business promotion. Journal of World Science, 1(1), pp.1-14.
Jeffres, L. W., Neuendorf, K., Bracken, C. C., & Atkin, D. (2008). Integrating theoretical traditions in media effects: Using third-person effects to link agenda-setting and cultivation. Mass communication and society, 11(4), pp.470-491.
McLuhan, M. (2017). The medium is the message. In Communication theory (pp. 390-402). Routledge.
Pulido, C. M., Redondo-Sama, G., Sordé-Martí, T., & Flecha, R. (2018). Social impact in social media: A new method to evaluate the social impact of research. PloS one, 13(8), e0203117.
Smith, S. P. (2018). Instagram abroad: Performance, consumption and colonial narrative in tourism. Postcolonial studies, 21(2), pp.172-191.
