Hello. I’m going to expand a little further on the concept that “the medium is the message.” In my last article I used the example of the hammer, which produces an environment where almost everything looks like a nail. It’s that environment which shapes my behaviour. But, why is this important? I bring this up because its important to understand that tech is not some neutral object. Technology shapes our lives both individually and collectively. To quote McLuhan “our conventional response to all media, namely that it is how they are used that counts, is the numb stance of the technological idiot” (p. 16). As I stated before technology is morally neutral. It does not make the moral judgement of good and evil. I make the choice in what I use the hammer for, as in build a home or smash windows. I am the content of the medium that supplies it moral purpose. “The effects of technology do not occur at the level of opinions or concepts, but alter sense ratios or patterns of perception steadily and without any resistance” (p. 18). What does McLuhan mean by this? Well lets bring back that trusty hammer. We understand that the hammer is morally neutral as it does not come with predetermined opinions, concepts, or ideas. However, it does change the patterns of perception in which I see the world. Perception would be defined here as a way of regarding, understanding, or interpreting something; a mental impression. So with hammer in hand I interpret, or perceive, the world around me as being filled with nails to be hammered. It’s a subtly different mental impression of what is actually before me. But, the fact behind the matter is that it is the hammer that has changed my worldview. Therefore, the medium is the message. I say this not to disregard that “it is how they are used that counts.” I say this to help expand my own understanding. The medium is the message because it is the source that changes my perception, which impacts how I will choose to interact with the world at large. It produces the environment that I make moral decisions within. If I understand this at an individual level I can begin to layer this logic onto society. Questions? Comments? Reply in the comment section below Part 3: Retooling Perspectives: Marshall McLuhan The Medium is the Message Reference: Marshall McLuhan - Understanding Media: The extensions of man
5 Comments
7/2/2019 05:59:24 am
Having the proper perspective is always good. If you ask me, most of us have difficulty understanding what others think. Sure, it is not easy to see the world from the eyes of others, but it is important that we try. Just because we do not see the world in the way that others do, does not mean that they are wrong. We should start to understand how people think, their perspective is just as important as ours, that is for sure.
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Rob Mac
7/28/2022 06:03:20 pm
This vapid comment reflects the nonsense of the technological idiot, McLuhan warned of. To be sure this also falls into the category of 'false equivalencies'that we're seeing all over the map these days. Like flat earthers or antu-vaxxers, or 'big lie' blowhards getting same airtime/attention as scientista amd election officials.
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9/4/2022 07:54:31 am
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Robin GagneWhat is technology? Marshall Mcluhan answers that question with a pithy saying that "the medium is the message." His philosophical understanding of technology is that they are the extensions of man. In the following series on Marshall McLuhan I use a hammer as a simple analogy to explain why the medium is the message. ArchivesCategories |
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