In 1964, Marshal McLuhan coined the phrase: The Medium is the Message. Although there is much debate about the actual meaning of the phrase, it points to the medium that is used to convey a message (writing, speech, print) being as much about the medium as it is about the message itself, and that one medium leads to the development of another. However, an underlying premise is that as the medium changes to include and evolve other forms of media, so do society and culture change and evolve. From the spoken word to the creation of the Internet, messages circulated via communication through media have influenced how cultures evolve, as depicted in the video The Medium is the Message. Through this depiction, it is shown that beginning with oral language to the creation of the Internet, mass media and culture have simultaneously evolved as a result of media expanding itself through technological advancements (writing to print to telegraphy to radio to television to the Internet to social media). “The technology that transfers the message changes us and changes society – the individual, the family, work, leisure, and more” (Anderson, 2015,n.p.).
The Internet, and especially social media, amplify and intensify social trends that lead to changes in culture (e.g., social protests, children withdrawing from traditional family life to create their own social spaces, niche communities where like-minded people gather remotely to discuss ideas, etc.)“If the experience of printing serves as a precedent, it is likely that digital technology will not simply intensify cultural trends but also provide resources for reinterpreting its meaning” (Furedi, 2013, para 17). This gets back to McLuhan’s The Medium is the Message. As technology generates new media tools, it will also change the way that humans communicate through these tools. As the means of communication evolve from one tool to another, so too does human interaction, which can ultimately lead to evolving viewpoints and ideas that impact society and culture in one way or another.
Resources
Anderson, G. (2015, January 27). Has technology changed us? The medium is the message. BBC Radio 4 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ko6J9v1C9zE
Furedi, F. (2013). How the internet and social media are changing culture. Aspen Review. https://www.aspen.review/article/2017/internet-social-media-changing-culture/
The Haynes Company 