The Medium is the Massage!
Book âThe Medium is the Massageâ : by Marshall McLuhan.
It is a perception of the author on life in the age of electronic media, long before anyone could imagine about it. It displays numerous wonderful insights and observations of the author on the global scenario, how it would be, how we humans might impact the nature, and the impact of the everyday imagery of mass media on the societies and the world, consumer goods, the advertising and the art world.
The best and amazing thing about this book is the fact that it was written in 1967. The author is thinking way ahead of its time. Almost all of whatever he has written in the book is quite relevant in todayâs time.
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So, the book starts with the very amazing thing I couldât even imagine to read in this book looking at the cover.
âThe medium, or process, of our timeâelectric technologyâis reshaping and restructuring patterns of social interdependence and every aspect of our personal life. It is forcing us to reconsider and reevaluate practically every thought, every action, and every institution formerly taken for granted. Everything is changingâyou, your family, your neighborhood, your education, your job, your government, your relation to âthe others.â
He talks about the relevance of internet in todayâs world and dependency of humankind on the technology, the way he has explained things which have not happened yet at the time he is writing all this is astonishing.
âThe wheel is an extension of the foot, the book is an extension of the eye, clothing an extension of the skin, electric circuitry an extension of the central nervous system.â - a quote from page 40 of the bookÂ
In his book, he talks about how everything has become an extension of another thing. The things have changed a lot in recent past in a true sense as he predicted. Here, the author ahead of its time, senses how the information sources have already widely increased to be infinite. The authenticity of information is also affected. There is so much dependency on internet and there is nothing about us which can be hidden and saved from being stolen.
âThe family circle has widened. The worldpool of information fathered by electric mediaâmovies, Telstar, flightâfar surpasses any possible influence mom and dad can now bring to bear. Character no longer is shaped by only two earnest, fumbling experts. Now all the worldâs a sage.â - a quote from the book
So, here the author talks about how a childâs character is not built upon the values bestowed by oneâs parents, rather by the societal values/ learnings via the widespread mediums of consuming information.
The mention of bulb in the book depicts that the âcontentâ of any medium is another medium which is existing like a bulb can be the content for an advertisement otherwise it is not of use. The content of writing is speech, just as the written word is the content of print, and print is the content of the telegraph.
âWhen this circuit learns your job, what are you going to do?â - another interesting quote from page 20 of the bookÂ
What does this say? Doesnâs this talk about the mechanisation of processes and works where the human hands and mind is going to be inactive or of less use by the introduction of the technology and algorithms. Can you imagine someone writing like this in 1967?
Source :Â https://abstractcathedral.com/2016/04/quote-marshall-mcluhan-on-the-future-of-politics/
Quote: Marshall McLuhan on the Future of PoliticsÂ
âThe successor to politics will be propaganda, not in the sense of a message or ideology, but the impact of the whole technology of the times. So politics will eventually be replaced by imagery. The politician will be only too happy to abdicate in favour of his image, because the image will be so much more powerful than he could ever be.â -Marshall McLuhan in 1972 inteview
The book also talks about the politics and propaganda. From politics to written word, nothing is untouched in the book. There is a mention of Socrates talking about the dislike of written word by Socrates. According to Socrates, the discovery of the alphabet will create forgetfulness in the learners because they will not use their memories rather will trust the external written character. Humans will believe that they know everything but actually the it would be other way.Â
Interecting fact : The bookâs title was mistakenly put as âMassageâ. Rightly guessed by me, it was actually a spelling mistake which was accepted later as it is in the title as the author found it interesting mistake.
There is so much in the book which will amaze you and bring you to the todayâs world, from whatsoever era you are. The style of book along with the content seems to be as fresh as todayâs designed book and the content is fully resonating with the todayâs scenario and facts how life is being taken over by the media and how we are living in a global village, and not isolated anymore. Must read for everyone.Â