Is Medium Really the Messsage
IS MEDIUM REALLY THE MESSAGE? Here we are will argue on the statement that is medium really the message. According to theories and the study which we have done yes medium is a message, there are different forms of medium each of which somehow delivers a message to us. According to Marshall McLuhan who put the statement that “the medium is the message”, what he meant with this is that advancements in the delivery of message occurs when an individual or society makes or uses something in a way that extends the range of the human body and mind in a fashion that is new. He referred the new ways of delivering messages as extensions for example, a microscope, or telescope is a way of seeing that is an extension of the eye, consider a physical recording medium like a CD or DVD. By itself it's an empty vessel. The "message" is what provides the value, the information is something with is which already there in the medium for example music, a film, software, or some other information. McLuhan believed that Mankind has always
been attracted and passionate with these extensions, but too often we choose to ignore or minimize the amputations. For example, we admire the reward of high speed personal travel made available by the automobile, but do not really want to be reminded of the pollution it causes. Additionally, we do not want to be made to think about the time we spend alone in our cars cut off from other humans, or the fact that the resulting amputations from automobiles have made us more obese and generally less healthy. In the same way the knowledge medium between new and old ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
been attracted and passionate with these extensions, but too often we choose to ignore or minimize the amputations. For example, we admire the reward of high speed personal travel made available by the automobile, but do not really want to be reminded of the pollution it causes. Additionally, we do not want to be made to think about the time we spend alone in our cars cut off from other humans, or the fact that the resulting amputations from automobiles have made us more obese and generally less healthy. In the same way the knowledge medium between new and old generation is totally changed, old generation refer more to books or written medium on paper but now this generation is more virtual, they prefer the medium of internet, TV, Media to inform them about the activities. In print media there is a lasting effect which makes the individual feel more private, permanent, rational, logical and linear on the other hand the new medium which internet, TV etc, is fast, global more information in one place. According to Neil Postman, “Because of these, they are dangerous. Fast, global, images, impressive, multimedia”. Because of the change in medium of message the message the people are more inconsistent towards their work, the focus is not there anymore, because the new generation Is used to switching the things and to get the all the information which they need by sitting in one place. I would like to give one more example in clarify between message and medium that It isn't hard to recognize that the primary value comes not from the medium of your career (i.e. your particular job) but rather from the message of your career. The message is what you bring to your career. For example, a person can identify his career as being a writer, blogger, speaker, web developer, entrepreneur, computer programmer, etc. Or he can more broadly say that I'm a communicator. But that would mean defining his career as a medium -- an empty container. It's like saying that I'm a microphone. According to McLuhan medium embeds itself in the message, He also said that a medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but also by the characteristics of the medium itself. One example which McLuhan gave in his book is that he compared the light bulb as a clear demonstration of the concept of “the medium is the message”. A light bulb does not have content in the way that a newspaper has articles or a television has programs, yet it is a medium that has a social effect; that is, a light bulb enables people to create spaces during nighttime that would otherwise be enveloped by darkness. He describes the light bulb as a medium without any content. McLuhan states that "a light bulb creates an environment by its mere presence". One more example is that, Mary Birmingham, who wanted to create an exhibition that reflected current issues in American society. She chose headlines as a theme. Other artists paint broadcast-television images and pages of Internet sites (Laura Greengold, Joy Garnett, Cheryl Yun), or distort television video footage. Mike Estabrook presents a nine-minute video loop of ''The O'Reilly Factor'' played backward with odd suggestions and fake news items scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Here they portrayed that the medium plays a great important part in how the message effect the human attitude change. So Medium is a message. References: Probe Ministries, 2002, online, 16-04-10, retrieved from http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/mcluhan.html Pavlina LLC, The medium VS the Message, 2005, online, 16-04-10, retrieved from http://www.stevepavlina.com/articles/the-medium-vs-the-message.htm Wikipedia, December 2008, the medium is the Message, 16-04-10, retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_medium_is_the_message Mark Federman, What is the Meaning of The Medium is the Message, online, 16-04-10 retrieved from http://individual.utoronto.ca/markfederman/article_mediumisthemessage.htm The medium is the message, online, 16-04-10, retrieved from http://www.answers.com/topic/the-medium-is-the-message BENJAMIN GENOCCHIO, May 28, 2006, ART REVIEW; The Medium Is the Message (And Vice Versa), 16-04-10, retrieved from http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02E0D9113EF93BA15756C0A9609C8B63 The medium is the message educating generation, 2010, online, 16-04-10, retrieved from, http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/2010/01/25/the-medium-is-the-message-educating-generation-m/
