Marshall McLuhan Technological Determinism

McLuhan’s Vision We are entering an electronic age Electronic Media alter the way people  Think  Feel  Act

Technological Determinism The belief that technological development determines cultural and social change.  “The medium is the message.”

Basic Concepts Communication technology inventions cause cultural change Changes in modes of communication shape human life Channels of communication are the primary causes of cultural change “We shape our tools and they in turn shape us.”

More Basic Concepts Way we live is largely a function of how we process information Phonetic alphabet, printing press, and telegraph changed the way people thought about themselves Same words spoken face-to-face, printed on a paper or presented on television provide three different messages

More Basic Concepts Primary channel of communication changes the way we perceive the world Dominant medium of an age dominates people

Media Technologies through which we relate to the world around us  Very broad definition (includes the light bulb and the wheel)  Dominant media determine our “ ratio of the senses.”

Media Anything that amplifies or intensifies a bodily organ, sense, or function Extend our reach Increase our efficiency Act as a filter to  Organize  Interpret

Extensions Media innovations are really extensions of human faculties  Book extends the eye  Wheel extends the leg  Clothes extend the skin  Electronic circuitry extends the central nervous system

McLuhan’s “Ages” Tribal Literacy Print Electronic

Tribal Age: Oral Culture World was an acoustic place Hearing, touch, taste, and smell more developed than sight High involvement, passion, and spontaneity in interactions  Spoken word more emotionally laden than printed text Life more complex because the ear is not capable of selecting the stimuli it takes in

Age of Literacy: Writing Results from development of phonetic alphabet (2000 B.C.) Visual becomes dominant sense  Ear exchanged for the eye Encourages “civilized” private detachment rather than “primitive” tribal involvement Encourages logical, linear thinking.  Mathematics, logic, science, philosophy  Line became the organizing principle

The Print Age: Printing Press Invention of the Printing Press (1400’s) Made visual dependence widespread “Repeatability” the most important characteristic of movable type Standardization of national languages encouraged nationalism Books could be read in privacy/isolation  Individualism glorified Prototype of Industrial Revolution  Mass production of identical products

Electronic Age: Electronic Media Telegraph (1840’s) “Global Village” emerges Cool medium of TV encourages spontaniety and involvement  Retribalization Instant communication returns us to a pre- alphabetic oral tradition Linear, logical thinking fades

Hot and Cool Media Hot  A high definition channel of communication that focuses on a single sensory receptor Cool  A low definition channel of communication that stimulates several different senses and requires high sensory involvement

Hot Media Movies Radio Photographs Print Lecture Cool Media Television Telephone Cartoon Face to Face Talk Class Discussion

McLuhan and Education People living in the midst of change cling to what was rather than embrace the new Education is a battle ground over forms of literacy -- print versus video versus audio Acoustic media threaten book-bound establishment of education

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