In Marshall McLuhan's article, "The Medium is the Message" he used very complex examples and explanations to basically say that the medium influences how the message is perceived. I agree with him in his point in which; the way the medium portrays the content they are trying to display, shapes the way the audience understands or views the message. This was a big change in how Communication was viewed in the 60's, and since then many scholars and philosophers have built upon this concept.
However I do believe some of his examples were a bit confusing and complex. For example he stated that, "a light bulb creates an environment by its mere presence". At first it took me a second to apply that to "The Medium is the Message" since a light bulb is a medium without any content. But I then quickly applied it to how we interpret messages or content based upon who or what is presenting it. For example, if a celebrity were selling perfume, we would want to buy it from them, more than we would a complete stranger's perfume. It's all about the way the medium is portraying the information, and how we receive it.
So I did actually enjoy reading the article even though I do see how it was a bit complex and a little off base at times. I think his overall purpose of the message was legitimate.
I had to read so many blog posts to understand what the heck Mcluhan was talking about but I think your's explained it most clearly! So thanks! I love love your celebrity selling perfume example because it clearly explains what he means...without going into 6 hundred different directions talking about Shakespeare and burglars and gunpowder. Haha. I even made my boyfriend read it and try to help me but it totally went over his head. After I read your post though it totally clicked and I thought about how SIMPLE the article really is! Of course the medium is the message! How else would we decipher a message without a medium to guide us. You’re example really got me thinking and I was able to come up with other examples to explain it to my boyfriend and feel like I knew what I was talking about. Haha. Have a good weekend and thanks again for explaining it so clearly!
ReplyDeleteAww thanks VeggieDelite! Yeah I know exactly how you feel trust me I had to read it a few times because there was so much complexity and examples going on that I felt like the purpose wasn't clear at first! But yeah I am glad my post helped you to understand it better and look forward to reading your responses to articles soon! :)
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