The Medium is the Message

In The Medium is the Message, Marshall McLuhan argues that the medium with which a message is sent is itself another message; he claims that “the ‘content’ of any medium is always another medium.” (p. 107).  To McLuhan, “the message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs.” (p. 107).

McLuhan explains that “the content of writing is speech, just as the written word is the content of print” and speech “is an actual process of thought, which is itself nonverbal.” (p. 107). He exemplifies this with the railway, which “did not introduce movement or transportation… but it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions.” (p. 108). Just as the railway made movement across distances easier, and the introduction of writing and print made thought easier to convey than speech alone, the medium is able to shape and control the way humans associate and act. (p. 108).  McLuhan uses the creation of the movie as an example: he argues that the speeding up of sound and images into a moving picture “carried us from the world of sequence and connections into the world of creative configuration and structure.” (p. 110). He also claims that “subliminal and docile acceptance of media impact has made them [the media] prisons without walls for their human users” with the explanation that “our human senses, of which all media are extensions, are also fixed charges on our personal energies, and that they also configure the awareness and experience of each one of us.” (p. 116).

McLuhan’s analysis of media as a catalyst on society is evidenced; for example, the introduction of writing as a way to convey thoughts has produced meticulous record keeping of information in numerous cultures. Now, the invention of the internet and computers allows for a new wave of instant connections to be formed across geographic boundaries that would have previously been arduous to create. However, his arguments about a change in personal energies based on media are not supported by the evidence he provides. McLuhan’s only source on personal changes is of a connection by C. G. Jung, who indicates that every Roman became inwardly a slave due to the saturation of slaves within Roman society. (p. 116).

Ultimately, McLuhan’s claim of the medium as a message could easily apply to modern communication technologies’ impact on society today, despite his lack of evidence for personal psychological impact. The invention of the computer, the internet, and social media has enabled us as humans to communicate in ways we previously could not, which in itself, impacts the way that we interpret communication as a society.

2 thoughts on “The Medium is the Message

  1. Larri, this is a great analysis of the reading. In reference to your introductory paragraph where you mentioned McLuhan’s statement, “the message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs,” having cell phones have changed the scale of production of accessories to accomodate these technologies, such as our clothes with pockets that are phone-friendly. By the same token, luggage companies have had to consider new additions to suitcases, backpacks, and briefcases to conveniently and safely secure laptops, iPads, and tablets during transportation. Also whether a restaurant or coffee shop has wifi has a serious impact on the customer’s decision to eat there, simply because people prefer quick access to the internet regardless of where they are. I find the motion picture example that McLuhan uses to be very interesting, becuase I think the shift in entertainment media, especially motion picture films to be the greatest extension of creative collaboration and capabilities, which have created new worlds of ideas and human curiosity. Also, I agree with you that McLuhan should have cited more evidence for psychological impact of changing mediums to strengthen his changes on personal energies claim.

  2. Larri,
    I really liked how you took McLuhan’s point about how now, the invention of the internet and computers allows for a new wave of instant connections to be formed across geographic boundaries that would have previously been arduous to create, yet also pointed out that he lacked some evidence to back up some of the psychological claims.
    I agree with Micco also in that “the message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs,” and how you listed some of these changes. It is interesting to think about how fast humans are evolving and the rate at which we are innovating and changing and how these instant connections across geographic boundaries has accelerated this so much.

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