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An eye-opening read, Marshall McLuhan's Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man provides a broad perspective, explaining the nature of electronic technology and its profound impact on human behavior and societal relationships. McLuhan controversially argues that the message itself holds little significance. He posits that humans have been storytellers since the dawn of language and symbols, animating its medium to communicate and connect.
He contends that the age of information didn't commence in the 20th century with microprocessors, but rather with Gutenberg's printing press – a medium designed to extend the reach of ideas transitioning storytelling from a 'hot medium' to a 'cold medium'. Despite unprecedented access to information and technology, modern societies grapple with anxiety, fear, and loneliness. McLuhan attributes this to the relentless advancement of electronic technologies, propelling humanity on an escalator of ever-faster communication. This rapid progression, coupled with a 'rearview mirror' perspective - looking at media re-narrate the same human conditions - obstructs our ability to foresee the future. McLuhan describes this trajectory as the 'global village'.
X (formerly Twitter) and Bluesky stand as prime illustrations of McLuhan's envisioned global village. These platforms, governed by its owners, allows individual accounts to engage with even the most influential figures worldwide. Today X writes themselves as the 'digital town square'.
My formative years involved a distinct separation between television and mobile phones, with television mediapunctuated by commercial breaks. Today, platforms like Instagram present a stark contrast. My parents cautioned against excessive television consumption due to advertisements, yet they now spend considerable time on Instagram. Both television and Instagram function as mediums for disseminating commercialized messages, promoting products that are ultimately unnecessary. (Crypto Twitter is a prime example of a global village rehashing excitement and speculation on money - a form of medium).
McLuhan also delves into the ongoing reversal of labor roles, transitioning from specialized positions to a demand for multifaceted skills across all production stages. For instance, social media platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok seamlessly blend content creation, production, and financing (through commercials) into concise, attention-grabbing clips. In contrast, Hollywood needs to rely on unions, corporations, and technicians for content creation. Now, anyone with internet access can fulfill these roles.
Another pivotal observation is that contemporary leaders, shaped by 20th-century experiences and 19th-century ideals, are tasked with navigating our 21st century. These leaders employ storytelling to perpetuate pre-mass literacy and autonomy lifestyles unaware that we are walking in what I speculate as the age of Intelligence. (I ironically call so as I witness people around me surrender their intelligence to chat bots.)
This book, while controversial and decisive, is essential for highlighting the crucial distinction between the medium and the message, emphasizing that 'the medium is the message.'
