McLuhan Believes It is impossible to understand social and cultural changes without a knowledge of the workings of media. ---Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage

McLuhan’s contribution to communication & philosophy The Medium is the Massage The Medium is the Message

The Medium is the Massage? According to McLuhan, societies have always been shaped more by the nature of the media by which people communicate than by the content of the communication. The alphabet and print technology fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, a process of specialism and detachment. In The Gutenberg Galaxy McLuhan stated that 'print is the technology of individualism.'

Electronic technology fosters and encourages unification and involvement. Similarly electric modes of communication reshape civilization in the 20th century. "Electricity does not centralise, but decentralises." (from Understanding Media) McLuhan argued that technology is an extension of the human nervous system and that technological changes create new environments of sense and feeling gradually altering patterns of perception.

Art, or the translation of a culture, is shaped by the way space is perceived. Primitive and pre- alphabet people integrate time and space as one and live in an acoustic, horizonless, boundless, olfactory space, rather than in visual space.

Their graphic presentation is like an x-ray. They put in everything they know, rather than only what they see.

Acoustic Time Until writing was invented man lived in acoustic space: boundless directionless horizonless in the dark of the mind in the world of emotion by primordial intuition by terror --Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage

The Ear was the Earliest The dominant organ of sensory and social orientation in pre-alphabet societies was the ear— hearing was believing The phonetic alphabet forced the magic world of the ear to yield to the neutral world of the eye. Man was given an eye for an ear. ---Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage

Writing is a technology, too! What happened when we humans began to write ? …when new technologies are introduced there are always those who are skeptical… One skeptic about writing was the philosopher, Socrates

Socrates Cautions Against Literacy in “Phaedrus” “The discovery of the alphabet will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; They will trust to the external written characters and not remember of themselves… You give your disciples not truth but only the semblance of truth; They will be heroes of many things, and will have learned nothing; They will appear to be omniscient and will generally know nothing.”

created the portable book, which people could read in privacy and in isolation from others. People could now inspire—and conspire… Literacy conferred the power of detachment, non-involvement. Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage

Enter Television…

E.B. White July, 1938 “…I believe television is going to be the test of the modern world, and that in this new opportunity to see beyond the range of our vision we shall discover either a new and unbearable disturbance of the general peace or a saving radiance in the sky. We shall stand or fall by television—of that I am quite sure.” E.B. White, “Removal”

McLuhan’s contribution to communication & philosophy The Global Village

Global Village “Ours is a brand-new world of Allatonceness. “Time” has ceased, “space” has vanished. We now live in a global village…a simultaneous happening. We are back in acoustic space. We have begun again to structure the primordial feeling, the tribal emotions from which a few centuries of literacy divorced us.” ---Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage

“We have had to shift our stress of attention from action to reaction. We must now know in advance the consequences of any policy or action, since the results are experienced without delay. Because of electric speed, we can no longer wait and see… The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village.” ---Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage

Television completes the cycle of the human sensorium. With the omnipresent ear and the moving eye, we have abolished writing…

…In television there occurs an extension of the sense of active, exploratory touch which involves all the senses simultaneously, rather than that of sight alone… …electric technology has meant for Western people a considerable drop in the visual component, in their experience, and a corresponding increase in the activity of their other senses… …In television, images are projected at you. You are the screen. The images wrap around you. You are the vanishing point. ---Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village)

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment. Print is the technology of individualism.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment. Print is the technology of individualism. Books could be read in privacy, isolation. Literacy conferred the power of detachment non- involvement.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment. Print is the technology of individualism. Books could be read in privacy, isolation. Literacy conferred the power of detachment non- involvement. In TV there is an extension of the sense of active touch which involves all the senses, rather than of sight alone.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment. Print is the technology of individualism. Books could be read in privacy, isolation. Literacy conferred the power of detachment non- involvement. In TV there is an extension of the sense of active touch which involves all the senses, rather than of sight alone. Electronic technology fosters unification and involvement.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment. Print is the technology of individualism. Books could be read in privacy, isolation. Literacy conferred the power of detachment non- involvement. In TV there is an extension of the sense of active touch which involves all the senses, rather than of sight alone. Electronic technology fosters unification and involvement. Technology is an extension of the nervous system.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment. Print is the technology of individualism. Books could be read in privacy, isolation. Literacy conferred the power of detachment non- involvement. In TV there is an extension of the sense of active touch which involves all the senses, rather than of sight alone. Electronic technology fosters unification and involvement. Technology is an extension of the nervous system. Technological changes create new environments of sense and feeling gradually altering patterns of perception.

McLuhan’s ideas on how technology affected people during three eras: Pre Literate Era: Literate Era: Electronic Era: (pre-alphabet, oral, tribal) Dominant organ of sensory and social orientation was the ear. Integration of time and space as one. Live in an acoustic, boundless olfactory space. Their art shows everything they know, rather than only what they see. Other: (global village) Phonetic alphabet forced magic world of ear to yield to neutral world of the eye. The alphabet and print fostered and encouraged a fragmenting process, specialism and detachment. Print is the technology of individualism. Books could be read in privacy, isolation. Literacy conferred the power of detachment non- involvement. In TV there is an extension of the sense of active touch which involves all the senses, rather than of sight alone. Electronic technology fosters unification and involvement. Technology is an extension of the nervous system. Technological changes create new environments of sense and feeling gradually altering patterns of perception. Global village: restructuring of tribal emotions.