Notes on Marshall McLuhan
* Notes gathered from article: What is the Meaning of The Medium is the Message? by Mark Federman
* Who is Marshall McLuhan?
Canadian philosopher (1911-1980). Did not set out to be an academic, yet became a professor of English. Defined media a a technological extension of the body. Wrote Understanding Media in 1964: media's effects on society and culture.
* Marshall McLuhan paradox: The medium is the message. What does it mean?
Many misinterpret his meaning. He was concerned with the fact that people tend to focus on the obvious when new innovations are created. We focus on what the new product promises us, but we fail to see the subtle effects this new innovation has on ourselves, our society and our culture.
*Unanticipated consequences
These are effects that we failed to see when a new technology was introduced. These new technologies made changes to our society and how we interact with each other.
CONNECTION: the cell phone has changed how we interact with each other.
McLuhan's Message: not words, but actions...it is the change of scale or pace or pattern that a new invention or innovation introduces into human affairs.
EXAMPLES FROM TEXT:
Not the musical or play itself, but the change in tourism that the production encourages
Not the news stories themselves, but the change in public attitude toward crime, or climate of fear
Definition of Medium according to McLuhan: anything that is an extension of ourselves, ie, hammer extends our arm, wheel extends our legs. It allows our bodies to do more.
Speech is an extension of our thoughts. Speech takes our senses out into the world.
Mediums are constantly evolving.
The true meaning: the nature and characteristics of anything we create or conceive (medium) by virtue of the changes--that they effect (message). Humans are often distracted by the content of the medium (which is usualy another distinct medium)
Why should we know this? Why is this important?
Noticing new changes in society or our culture tells us that a new medium is effecting us n some way. If it is a negative effect, we have time to change it. We have control over how change occurs.
CONNECTION TO ME: How do we change our broken school system?
* Who is Marshall McLuhan?
Canadian philosopher (1911-1980). Did not set out to be an academic, yet became a professor of English. Defined media a a technological extension of the body. Wrote Understanding Media in 1964: media's effects on society and culture.
* Marshall McLuhan paradox: The medium is the message. What does it mean?
Many misinterpret his meaning. He was concerned with the fact that people tend to focus on the obvious when new innovations are created. We focus on what the new product promises us, but we fail to see the subtle effects this new innovation has on ourselves, our society and our culture.
*Unanticipated consequences
These are effects that we failed to see when a new technology was introduced. These new technologies made changes to our society and how we interact with each other.
CONNECTION: the cell phone has changed how we interact with each other.
McLuhan's Message: not words, but actions...it is the change of scale or pace or pattern that a new invention or innovation introduces into human affairs.
EXAMPLES FROM TEXT:
Not the musical or play itself, but the change in tourism that the production encourages
Not the news stories themselves, but the change in public attitude toward crime, or climate of fear
Definition of Medium according to McLuhan: anything that is an extension of ourselves, ie, hammer extends our arm, wheel extends our legs. It allows our bodies to do more.
Speech is an extension of our thoughts. Speech takes our senses out into the world.
Mediums are constantly evolving.
The true meaning: the nature and characteristics of anything we create or conceive (medium) by virtue of the changes--that they effect (message). Humans are often distracted by the content of the medium (which is usualy another distinct medium)
Why should we know this? Why is this important?
Noticing new changes in society or our culture tells us that a new medium is effecting us n some way. If it is a negative effect, we have time to change it. We have control over how change occurs.
CONNECTION TO ME: How do we change our broken school system?