Marshall McLuhan Technological Determinism McLuhan’s Vision We are entering an electronic age Electronic Media alter the way people Think Feel Act Technological Determinism The belief that technological development determines cultural and social change. “The medium is the message.” Basic Concepts Communication technology inventions cause cultural change Changes in modes of communication shape human life Channels of communication are the primary causes of cultural change “We shape our tools and they in turn shape us.” More Basic Concepts Way we live is largely a function of how we process information Phonetic alphabet, printing press, and telegraph changed the way people thought about themselves Same words spoken face-to-face, printed on a paper or presented on television provide three different messages More Basic Concepts Primary channel of communication changes the way we perceive the world Dominant medium of an age dominates people Media Technologies through which we relate to the world around us Very broad definition (includes the light bulb and the wheel) Dominant media determine our “ ratio of the senses.” Media Anything that amplifies or intensifies a bodily organ, sense, or function Extend our reach Increase our efficiency Act as a filter to Organize Interpret Extensions Media innovations are really extensions of human faculties Book extends the eye Wheel extends the leg Clothes extend the skin Electronic circuitry extends the central nervous system McLuhan’s “Ages” Tribal Literacy Print Electronic Tribal Age: Oral Culture World was an acoustic place Hearing, touch, taste, and smell more developed than sight High involvement, passion, and spontaneity in interactions Spoken word more emotionally laden than printed text Life more complex because the ear is not capable of selecting the stimuli it takes in Age of Literacy: Writing Results from development of phonetic alphabet (2000 B.C.) Visual becomes dominant sense Ear exchanged for the eye Encourages “civilized” private detachment rather than “primitive” tribal involvement Encourages logical, linear thinking. Mathematics, logic, science, philosophy Line became the organizing principle The Print Age: Printing Press Invention of the Printing Press (1400’s) Made visual dependence widespread “Repeatability” the most important characteristic of movable type Standardization of national languages encouraged nationalism Books could be read in privacy/isolation Individualism glorified Prototype of Industrial Revolution Mass production of identical products Electronic Age: Electronic Media Telegraph (1840’s) “Global Village” emerges Cool medium of TV encourages spontaniety and involvement Retribalization Instant communication returns us to a prealphabetic oral tradition Linear, logical thinking fades Hot and Cool Media Hot A high definition channel of communication that focuses on a single sensory receptor Cool A low definition channel of communication that stimulates several different senses and requires high sensory involvement Hot Media  Movies  Radio  Photographs  Print Cool Media  Lecture  Class Discussion     Television Telephone Cartoon Face to Face Talk McLuhan and Education People living in the midst of change cling to what was rather than embrace the new Education is a battle ground over forms of literacy -- print versus video versus audio Acoustic media threaten book-bound establishment of education The End