In McLuhan’s article, he states that the medium is the message and that any medium virtually serves as an extension of ourselves (McLuhan 203). He argues that any analysis of media that focuses primarily on just the content of the message is both incorrect and incomplete because it causes us to neglect analyzing the medium itself. Additionally, McLuhan uses the example of the electric light to further explain his argument that the medium is the message. He states that it is the medium itself that “shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action” (203). In other words, McLuhan is arguing that the medium influences our minds, thoughts, and bodies even though we don’t realize it. Therefore, McLuhan states that humans must also pay attention to the medium of the message if we are to truly understand how media or technology is influencing us both consciously and unconsciously.
Furthermore, I’m gonna go back to the concept of extensions. Some parts of McLuhan’s article were too philosophical for me but with the help of Google, I was able to grasp McLuhan’s idea of extension. McLuhan believed that every creation was an extension of ourselves. In a way then, the electric light is an extension of our eyes since it helps us to see when it is dark. While extensions/technology has contributed positively to our lives, McLuhan believes that we often forget to think about and realize the negative results of extensions (e.g. McLuhan states in his 1st paragraph about how automation led to the lost of jobs). In conclusion when analyzing media, we must not only examine the message itself and the medium, but we must also explore the cons of such mediums as well.
Using an example from my personal life, I will talk a little about Fbook. Almost 99% of the time when I read my friend's updates, I simply take it for what it is. If my friend posts about how hung over she/he is, I would conclude that he/she had a very fun time last night. But by analyzing only the literal meaning of the message though, I am in essence not realizing how Fbook itself and the computer is influencing not only my life, but her life as well (and everyone else who sees his/her message). In the end, I am failing to realize that the computer is serving as an extension of myself, specifically my mind and psyche, since I am putting my own thoughts and feelings on there for my friends to see.
I will have to agree with your conclusion that follows your real life story. While I am not on Facebook as often these days, many of my close friends update a few times a day if not more. While often times the message is not meant to portray anything other than the literal meaning, others reading can and probably do extrapolate the meaning for themselves. This can backfire when people of importance, such as employers or family members, keep themselves up to date with our statuses. Not to say that our friends opinions are not important, however they aren't as likely to effect your life directly if they take your post in a manner in which it wasn't meant. If they do, that is a completely different subject.
ReplyDeleteOften times we don't have any idea what a few words on a computer screen can do.