Marshall McLuhan: Media ARE Communication Becca McMullin

Background Born in Edmonton, Alberta , Canada July 21, 1911 Married Corinne Keller Lewis in 1939 Graduated from Cambridge University in 1942 Taught at many different Universities, including UW- Madison, St. Lewis University, and University of Toronto Died in his sleep on December 31, 1980 at the age of 69

Books Wrote and published many books Understanding Media The Medium is the Massage

The Medium is the Message The medium through which a message is carried is just as important, it not more important than the message itself The medium shapes and scales how humans will interact with each other Basically, the channel through which a message is sent can contain more meaning than the message alone The Medium is the Message

Light bulb! Without the physical aspect of the light bulb, the light would have no form, and therefore, no meaning The light itself is pure information It is a message without a medium It is the combination of both the message AND the medium that creates a full meaning

Types of Mediums McLuhan claimed there were two different types of mediums: Hot and Cold These are used in different ways and have different effects on the target audience

Hot Mediums Mediums that make one single sense work in “high definition” That is, they enhance one single sense in such a manner that a person does not need to exert much effort in filling in the details Require little audience participation

Hot Mediums Radio Solely focuses on hearing Enhances single sense so that it is working more than the other senses, but does not require too much energy or focus to do so

Hot Mediums Photograph Visually high definition Provides great detail of image but does not take great effort to understand meaning

Cold Mediums Mediums in “low definition” Require high audience participation Participant must fill in missing information Often try to illicit a specific response from the audience

Cold Mediums Comics Minimal detail in visual presentation means the participant must exert a high amount of effort to fill in details the artist may have intended to portray Audience must actively work to determine secondary meaning

Cold Mediums Symbolism in Advertising Nike’s “non-product specific message” We all recognize the Nike Swoosh, but it takes conscious thought to relate the symbol to the name This symbolism has become a recognizable norm This message can be found in many different forms (television, magazine, etc.) so it requires a greater variety of audience participation

Global Village McLuhan’s way of describing the effect of technology in bringing people into faster and more intimate contact with each other Basically, technology would bring the world closer together quickly and easily This would be easier to send out mass communications and broadcast codes With everyone interconnected, we will all be affected by the same ideas, news and influences. McLuhan used this term to describe the radio in the 1920’s but it can also be relevant in today’s society

Global Village Predication of the World Wide Web McLuhan hypothesized that “borderless electronic media would undermine the nation- state,” meaning information could pass between people of different nations easily McLuhan’s ideas about uniting the world through technology was eventually a reality with the invention of the internet

Global Village McLuhan also predicted the disadvantages of technology He anticipated the “homogenizing and dehumanizing effect of mass media” Understood how too much media and technology could be detrimental to our society