Marshal McLuhan saw himself as an investigator of the ‘technological environment’. What made his discoveries and thinking possible was his openness to discuss and question what we may seem to think as fact or givens, such as the phonetic alphabet merely being a tool for communication. I have some disagreements with some of his ideas, but I believe that much of that has to do with some of the ways he describes issues in the interview. The fact that he considered himself a “generalist, not a specialist" was both advantageous and disadvantageous in that he was able to cover large topics, but in that process his messages weren’t as cohesive. What I do admire is his non-commitment and openness to any theory or fixed point of view, which opened the door for him to have such revolutionary ideas.
McLuhan believed that technology was an extension of humans, just like clothing is an extension of our skin. If we don’t realize the influence and power of the ‘technological environment’ over us, then we are in for big trouble as a society. He described in the interview his main reason for his investigations is:
“…to convey the message, that by understanding media as they extend man, we gain a measure of control over them.”
He believes that things first went astray with the development of the phonetic alphabet. McLuhan sees all media as extensions of humans that have immense effects on our nervous system that numbs us. He warns that we develop a syndrome called “Narcissus Narcosis” where by “man remains unaware of the psychic and social effects of his new technology as a fish of water it swims in.”
I believe that to understand the effects of media is extremely important to us as designers and artists because we are the ones who are creating and using medium. McLuhan believes it is:
“…the artist who perceives the alterations in man caused by a new medium”, and that “most people are blissfully ignorant of what the media does to them.”
This is especially true to artist because we are more hyper-aware of the environment around us because we know how objects and things are constructed and we thrive off and work in the global world…we make media for people. This is why it is so important to understand his message.
McLuhan talks about the demise of the ‘literate man’ and the power of ‘tribal man’.
“Literate man is alienated impoverished man; retribalized man can lead a far richer and more fulfilling life—not the life of a mindless drone but of the participant in a seamless web of interdependence and harmony.”
This is an example of where McLuhan’s generalization works against him because I don’t believe the issue is so black and white. First of all, isn’t McLuhan the ‘literate man’? Without his knowledge in literature he wouldn’t be who he is. I agree in his idea that the retribalization of society would lead to a “far-richer and more fulfilling life”, but that can only be accomplished through the sharing of knowledge and use of media. Through the blending of what the phonetic alphabet has given us and with the blending of tribal values a beautiful global community is possible. This can only be accomplished with caution and with the aid of the McLuhan’s warnings of the power of media and the effect of the expansion of the technological environment on humans.
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“…isn’t McLuhan the ‘literate man’? Without his knowledge in literature he wouldn’t be who he is.” I too wondered if McLuhan was being a bit contradictory because if he was aiming for a resistance of media and a return to tribal values, then isn’t he as guilty as we are? By publishing those books, making appearances on tv, wasn’t he falling into that trap as we already did? Sure was making people aware but to me it almost looked like a form of entertainment (especially due to the era in which his ideas become predominate), where he was saying all these philosophical theories that no one had heard before…and as it being entertainment, the public was more likely to watch and respond. I’m not saying McLuhan was a sell-out, he was a very brilliant man, but maybe sine he was so “aware” of the effects of media, he wanted to use this to his advantage.
Perhaps this is where Jenkins would fit in because he keeps suggesting that, yes we know of the effects of media thanks to McLuhan, but then what do we do with that? He suggests that we share the knowledge and use of media, as you noted, which would bridge that gap between cultures, and the knowledge of the users of media (I’m thinking the internet in general). That sounds like a tribal value that McLuhan would’ve wanted, but then again, he didn’t have the cell phone and iPods.
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