The society’s growth from McLuhan’s eyes
We live in a world where technology is apart of our everyday lives. It all started with the printing press and we have progressed to new ways to communicate and being able to do things things we could not imagine doing decades ago. In the reading, Medium is the Message, McLuhan wrote about how everything is changing and you either need to adapt to the changes or get stuck behind. Societies are changing for the better and culture as a whole has changed throughout the years. McLuhan’s inspiration hit when the postmodern age started. The introduction of the internet skyrocketed — televisions and social media blew up and turned into mediums of communication. Before we get into McLuhan’s reading, we need to look at the communication revolution that changed everything. In the reading, Technology and Social Change: Four Major Eras, professor Michael Soha writes about McLuhan and says
“While his insights may have been ahead of his time, many argue that the torrent of images, sounds, texts, and symbols, as well as constant interaction that immerse people at seemingly all times in the digital age are heightening the processes McLuhan first identified” (Soha page 26).
The upcoming use of the internet and cell phone technology are just as important as the printing press invention and will have the same affect on the society as it did before. This was a major step up for the society, being able to communicate faster and more reliable way of getting information to each other.
McLuhan’s reading helps us connect his ideas to what was going on in the world. The introduction of mass media connected us all in ways we did not think of. He later states, “All media are extensions of some human faculty -psychic or physical” (McLuhan page 26). Everything in the world has a connection to something else, he then gives examples by saying the the wheel is an extension of the foot and the book is an extension of the eye — you cannot have one without the other.
One concept that McLuhan brought up that relates to today is “your family”.
“ The family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by electric media — movies, Telstar, flight — far surpasses any possible influence mom and dad can now bring to bear. Character no longer is shaped by only two earnest, fumbling experts. Now all the world’s a sage”.
— McLuhan Page 14
We, as a society, are looking for more people in influence us other than our mom and dad. Our teachers, our friends, our favorite actor / actress, or our favorite chef is now our biggest influence. In this age, not everyone has a family they can look for when they need advice or help. The family circle has widened and we are looking for more support from different people. Television programs are giving us a variety of culture, music is a lot more exotic and explicit, and we are letting ourselves be who we want to be with the support from others.
Our wold is continuing to grow and continuing to changing for the better. The change into the digital world is what got the modern era to evolve into the post modern era. We are constantly connecting with others and rely on technology in our everyday lives. This allows us to produce and share information in a way that helps us rather than confuse us and cause more issues.
