McMedium

BLOG 2 : CHLOE CHAMBERS

When Marshall McLuhan says “the medium is the message,” he is saying that the way in which a message or content is given is more important than what is being conveyed. “McLuhan’s medium theory states that any advanced modern society is shaped by the various media technologies that are available to it” (Laughey 34, Key Themes In Media Theory). I think a clear example of this would be a phone. For example, with communication, writing a text has a different impact than writing a letter, or talking on the phone may carry less weight than talking in person. Obviously, with phones and communication, the positive impact is clear; it is faster, easier, and more accessible than other forms of communication, which has shaped how people interact with one another, a prime example of what McLuhan believed. This impact can also be negative, as people can now use phones to take advantage of this easy communication. This can be seen in scams, telemarketers, cyberbullying, stalking, etc. “This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium – that is, of any extension of ourselves – result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology” (Durham 107, Understanding Media). I think this means that mediums are simply extensions of people, and those extensions help introduce new means of interacting, so by choosing to decide on one, you are sending a certain message. The touchscreen phone has become essentially a new body part to the modern person. To some, losing one could be like losing a limb or a job, or a vital connection to others. The way people use a phone to communicate has shaped society, I think, entirely. When you think about how crime, politics, the news, entertainment, advertising, and celebrities are shaped by phones, it is pretty interesting, and you can not help but agree with McLuhan. For me, I lie in bed 90% of the time purely watching YouTube videos or reading on my phone. When I need to talk to my mom in the other room, I text her. When I need to ask a professor a question, I prefer emailing them rather than asking in person. When I finally feel like getting out of bed, I look online for ideas, usually cooking or movies. And I even chose graphic design as my major. My life is basically centered around my phone and various communication methods (videos, text), and my future is centered basically on how things are communicated through it and the best way to do so. I am a lazy person, so to me, this is pretty beneficial. It makes everything easier to focus on communication through a phone, but objectively, I can see how this can be negative. This is to say that all these factors lead me to believe and agree with what McLuhan says with “the medium is the message”. Especially in this digital age, it is essentially a fact.

References

https://learning.westminster.ac.uk/ultra/courses/_102764_1/outline/file/_5638594_1

https://www.vlebooks.com/Product/Index/22528?page=0&startBookmarkId=-1