This week, we had the pleasure of having a talk from Prof. Dudley Turner (Dudley Dreamscape) and Dr. Glenn Loughran (Feilimy) about a Canadian philosopher named Marshall McLuhan. We discussed his influence and ideas about the digital age, which has grown to become more relevant as technology has advanced over time. The subject matter of this class was both fascinating and complex. The talk helped me to understand McLuhan's complex ideas and expanded my horizons on how his philosophies can be interpreted. We explored one of the most famous phrases from McLuhan which is "the medium is the message". This idea states that the way we send and receive information is more important than the information itself. The way that we communicate a message is like a direct extension of ourselves.
“The medium is the message that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action.” - Marshall McLuhan (Understanding Media, NY, 1964, p. 9)
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| While it may seem like a paradoxical statement, the medium being the message cannot be understated. [Source - BBC Radio 4] |
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The beginning of the "global-
village" era. [Source -
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Upon researching McLuhan, I found that he was very much ahead of his time regarding his ideas about digital media. Radio and television were the predominant forms of digital communication in his time, and he noticed that this unified people into a "global village". There was an apparent shift from oral communication to visuals with the growing popularity of print-based media. This is further emphasized with the invention of more advance forms of media such as television and later the internet. The rise of the internet has simultaneously led to the rise of using more images to convey ideas and a decrease in the amount of text in order to communicate ideas as quickly as possible.
In a 1979 ABC Radio National Network interview, McLuhan states that "Any painter, poet, musicians, sets a trap for your attention. That is the nature of art."1 The message of a piece of art, writing or music is circumstantial and is up to the viewer's interpretation. As such, the message of these pieces would never be internally clear however, McLuhan says that we should instead focus on the medium itself. I find it fascinating to think about my course; Visual Communication, in the context of McLuhan's ideas. Visual Communication is about conveying ideas in the simplest and quickest way possible to the viewer. In a way, the executed piece is like a "trap". What we produce is a direct extension of ourselves as people. As a designer, it's not simply about creating a design that has utility, but to also consider the larger spectrum of how others would interpret the medium. Visual Communication is ingrained with technology. Design is its own culture and has the power to both shape and re-shape different people in a variety of ways.
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| Perhaps there is an over-reliance on technology in today's age. [Source - Equip.org] |
As mentioned earlier in the post, a "global village" is becoming to form as technology is improving and becoming more wide-spread. The world is becoming more interconnected as technology improves. McLuhan used the term "global village" in reference to television, however, this phrase is even more relevant than ever before with the invention of the internet. It's important for society as a whole to let these technologies empower us rather than to let them make us delusional from reality. An interconnected world is both a terrifying and exciting prospect. The former because the media we have today has more power to shape individuals, especially with regard to social media. It appears that over time, an increasing number of people have become more reliant on receiving constant validation through likes and comments on our photos posted online which creates an attention economy. On a 1999 BBC Newsnight interview, David Bowie says "We are living in total fragmentation".2 I find this quote to be extremely relevant as it appears that phones and other devices have become almost like a part of some people as if they couldn't bare without scrolling through a screen for a few hours or days. We must all remember to take a step back from the screen at times and not become reliant on the devices in our pocket for all our needs.
However, there is a positive use of technology that cannot be understated. There are no doubt advantages to being able to communicate with people around the world and being able to convey ideas in ways that we never could before such what we do in this very module. As long as people are responsible and don't let themselves become one with technology, it can be a great tool for learning and uniting with other people rather than pushing them away.
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