The Medium and My Message...
Hellooo and thank you again for coming and reading a grad student's thoughts. Please...take a seat and open your eyes. WE'RE TALKING TECHNOLOGICAL COMMUNICATION IDEAS BABY! Grab a snack too, it's gonna be a good one :)
The electronic paradigm, or put in layman's terms, means the more technologically advanced we become, the more society will change and adapt towards those advances. McLuhan's theory on the electronic age was/is still correct. He believed that media is an extension of man. We all know that. That was his infamous quote that came true. Think of your smartphone, laptop, even your Smart Tv. Those are tech vehicles that allow our senses to extend past what is humanly possible. It is impossible to be in two places at once, but we can with technology. “The real revolution occurred when the Internet became a medium for personal communication (Technological Determinism: A Critique Based On Several Readings in Adult Education.)”
For example, when someone moves away from their family and friends they can FaceTime in for a girl's night and still feel included while stuck inside her new apartment. Pretty cool, right? Yeah, well, it was back when we saw it on The Jetsons. The issue with this idea is that not everyone can make communication an extension of themselves. Technology is a form of classism, and we are in a digital divide currently. We can't put so much into technological communication when a lot of society hasn't reached that point. It does more of a disservice to a large number of people. Think of third-world countries, not even the digital poverty we have in the States. There is a global disconnect on the accessibility of this extension of the man.
Staying on the global tech train for a second is another idea from Mr. McLuhan. Piggybacking on his first idea of the media being an extension of us. His next idea hones in on an interactive world without geographical limits. Hello, social media platforms! So we do all know that social media, one of our many technology sources, allows us to interact with all diverse people. Yep, even around the world. Gotta favorite influencer, right?
You want to see what they are doing, but you are in America. They are in Australia. It is 3 AM, your time, done. We can do that. You are now watching her day. The global village idea is why celebrities can have IG lives. Think about it. You can see them living life in a big city while sitting at home eating Flaming Hot Cheetos. It gives us the ability to feel like we are there without being there. Other great examples are award shows. Mainly with the introduction of HD. Technology is not the slave of the human being but rather humans are slaves to technology as they are forced to adapt to the technological environment that surrounds them (Technological Determinism). As much as we are a tech-focused world is it what we need? Do we need to be able to connect whenever we want? Or do we feel that we need to do these things because they are here? Every time a new smartphone comes out, there are massive lines. They sell out within minutes. Why? Have we become such slaves to our devices that we have no world without them? Do we have no life or connection to what we think is life without them?
Ahhh, the medium is the message sounds rather soothing. As if the beginning of a poem, ha.The meaning, the medium used to communicate influences to the mind of the receiver. The introduction of newspapers, television, and the internet have all shown how technological advances have an impact on the society in which we live (Technological Determinism). In other words, this says that the contents of media hold no weight. At least not as much as the way we are getting the information.
Think from a societal aspect, a great advancement for us. The way we can now interact with the media allows people to get excited about things. How many kids love playing games? But how many kids love playing games on their parent's tablets or smartphones (kidding, these kids have their own). We all like listening to music, but it's better to listen to streaming apps (that you pay for with no commercials) rather than the radio. We have a societal attitude shift when new tech emerges, whether good or bad. However, we all watch the news, right? Oh, just me. Well, in particular, it can have different effects on people. Think about anchors, the set, graphics, the information. I mean let's go down memory lane and think about the Trump years? That's when I saw how info said can change people (really). From immigration to the pandemic to election day, we all saw the aftermath of election day (cough, January 6th).
How baffling is it that we saw brainwashing in action and still happening? Crazy, right. I refuse to believe I am the only one that thinks that was pretty wild. So many conservative minds thought a failed fake billionaire reality star would put more money in their pockets and "save" them from the liberal elites! Way to go Faux News :) I mean Fox. In reality, it does matter the contents of the message. Regardless of what channel it goes through. Hate-filled content is still what it is and can change the mind of someone, no matter if through radio, smartphone, or letter. In seriousness, this is also a flaw to the theory.
My feelings on these ideas are that the extension of man and the global village are two ideas that accurately speak to where and how we are. At least digitally speaking. The ability to talk to anyone anywhere. Or see what your favorite celebrity is doing, even watching live Ted Talks from across the country. It gives us the ability to feel like we are all connected. Pretty cool. However, to say content is not as important as the medium it is executed from is a naive thought. We have to recognize the power in words. The harm they can cause. Not just the fact that we heard it on the tv or a podcast. I leave you with a great passage from one of the articles I read before this blog.
A critique of technological determinism is that technology never forces itself on members of society. Man creates technology and chooses to use them. He invents television and chooses to view it. There is no imposition on the part of the technology to be used rather technology requires people to participate or involve themselves at some point or another to use a car or a microwave. The choice of using technology and experiencing its effects, therefore, lies in the hand of a human being (Technological Determinism ).
This is a movie trailer by Verizon regarding the digital divide in schools called Without A Net.
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