Blog Response 1: Medium is the Message

In the essay "Medium is the Message" by Mcluhan, he argues that the medium in which we receive information is as important, if not more important, than the message we receive. He used the example of the electric light to Illuminate his point. His argument was it did not matter whether you were operating on a patient in the surgery room or playing baseball at night, the light was the important element. It is  needed to effectively do both activities effectively. (medium is the message Mcluhan). It illustrated what he was trying to convey, but I think it is a weak comparison to make. Digestion of information and tools to do things are fundamentally different in every way.

. I thought it was an interesting point to be made, and do agree medium has an important power over the masses. I do not agree with the sentiment that it is more important than the message itself. I do agree that it will change how we will interpret that information, however, Ithink even the language in which we receive information will fundamentally change how we interpret the message. A famous example of this would be Nixon vs JFK. When they first debated, people who watched thought that JFK won the debate and those who listened on the radio thought that Nixon had one. This is a powerful example of how the medium objectively influenced people.


I believe hearing/seeing vs reading would be the greatest difference in how we received that info. I think reading puts the voice of the reader in place of the person who is speaking. I don't think Hitler for example would have been nearly as powerful if radio and film hadn't existed. If you simply just saw a picture of Hitler and read his words, the influence wouldn't have been as powerful. Mein Kampf was not a strong seller after well into Hitler's term as chancellor. When you hear him speak tho, and see his animations, they convey an energy of a higher caliber. It is easier to understand why he influenced people the way he did, he used the medium to his advantage.

As we journey further into the 21st century, it will be interesting to see how things like VR will become a new powerful medium. Maybe a holocaust museum will use this technology to make you experience that existence or the experience of the slave in america. I'm excited to see how this new medium will be utilized.