The Medium Is the Massage Mcluhan Essay Example for Free

The Medium Is the Massage Mcluhan EssayThis change in our perceptions of reality is the metaphor. Our metaphors shape the content of our culture. (Postman, 1986) Postman comp ares the prophecies of George Orwells 1984 with the Aldus Huxleys Brave New World. Orwells warning is of an extern exclusivelyy enforce oppression while Huxleys warning is of people who will dumbfound to love their oppression, to adore their technologies that reveal their capacities to think, amusing their selves to death (Postman, 1986). Our culture is in danger of trivialization due to the distractions, amusements and limitations of our media today. It is our esponsibility to study the effects of our technologies to prevent either detrimental unanticipated consequences they may have on our society. Samuel Morse when he invented telegraphy, predicted that it would make atomic number 53 neighborhood of the whole country. According to Postman telegraphy destroyed the prevailing definition of informati on, and in doing so gave a rising meaning to public discourse. It is with telegraphy and its union with the press that the value of information changed. Information became context-? resign and a commodity. Information was bought and sold irrespective of its use or eaning, 1 and this is how the value of news has come to rely on its novelty, interest and curiosity and not on its functionality (Postman, 1986). Television speaks in only one persistent voice the voice of entertainment, (Postman, 1986). Like the primitive engine room of smoke signals, television is a medium restricted by its form. A Cherokee philosopher cannot communicate his ideas with smoke signals. Likewise, television with its inherent bias cannot be utilize for complex discussions. The average length of a shot on network television is only 3. 5 seconds so that the eye never rests, lways has something new to see. (Postman, 1986) Television favors fascinating dynamic visuals over boring complexity and coherenc e-? which do not play well on television.All content is presented as entertainment, requiring minimal skills to stab it, and is largely aimed at emotional gratification. (Postman, 1986) However, this does not mean that there is anything wrong with entertainment or that all TV programs are useless. What is wrong is to turn to television for anything serious, expecting the meaningful. It is our obligation to be aware of the metaphor. The metaphor is new culture centered on the need to be entertained and incapable of filtering information, distinguishing what is relevant, or questioning what need to be questioned. As we are now experiencing the boom in social media with 955 million active users on Facebook in June 2012 (Wikipedia, 2012), it is apparent that we should follow the advice of McLuhan and Postman, and study the elusive effects of social media on our culture today. Facebook tends to throw out people to only show how wonderful their life is. They engage in a form of person alised propaganda, indulging in narcissistic behaviors n an environment where it is the norm to do so. It is true that social media brought the human beings closer together but it has also distanced us. We stay in touch without actually having a conversation through broadcasts and status messages.People compete to have as many friends as possible, making relationships shallow and communications superficial. With more than half of Facebook users accessing Facebook on their mobile devices, it is also important to note the distractions and disconnect these devices perplex in our relationships in the real world. People know what they do they frequently now why they do what they do but what they dont know is what what they do does Foucault (Mahon, 1992). In a world where technology is the way of life, it is crucial for us to investigate the effects these tools have on our societies. These tools are extensions of our human go and therefore must be examined as phenomena that shape the very form of our existence, altering our day-? to-? day lives and dynamically influencing our culture.These influences maybe indirect and subtle and it is our responsibility to be simply conscious of their effects regardless of whether they are eneficial or not. It is through this awareness that we would be able to 2 prevent the changes that we decide do not suit our visions and goals for the human race. References McLuhan, M. (1994). Understanding media The extensions of man. (pp. 721). Cambridge, MA MIT Press. Postman, N. (1986). Amusing ourselves to death. New York, NY Penguin Group. Mahon, M. (1992). Foucaults nietzschean genealogy Truth, power, and the subject. (p. 130). Albany, NY State University of New York Press. Wikipedia. (2012, portentous 20). http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Facebook Facebook. Retrieved from 3