Blog #5 - McLuhan and the Freedom Convoy



Marshall McLuhan's medium theory, as outlined in his book Understanding Media, distinguishes between hot and cool media. Hot media are those that provide a high degree of sensory information, such as radio, which provides a rich auditory experience. Cool media, on the other hand, provide less sensory information and require more active participation from the audience, such as television.

In the case of the freedom convoy and its use of social media, it's possible that McLuhan would view it as a combination of hot and cool media. The use of social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to organize the convoy and share information about it would likely be seen as a cool medium, as it requires active participation from users to engage with and share the information. This was referenced in the article by CBC where they called social media the “central nervous system” of the convoy as individuals across the nation used social media platforms to spread information, organize protests, and raise money.


On the contrary, the actual occupation of Ottawa and the events that took place there may be seen as more of a hot medium, as they provided a high degree of sensory information that was broadcasted through various media outlets, such as television and radio. In this way, McLuhan may see the convoy as a combination of hot and cool media, with the use of social media as a cool medium and the broadcasting of the convoy itself as a hot medium.


Discussion Question:

Like the freedom convoy are there any other movements or protests that come to mind where you think social media was the "central nervous system"?

Comments

  1. Lydia G.December 12, 2022 at 7:44 PM

    Hi Megan, great post!

    I appreciate how you separated the “Freedom Convoy” media elements into hot and cool media because the convoy definitely includes each media. Just like you said, the social media aspect of it is visibly cool media. Because although there was a lot of data on the convoy, ideas and opinions were all over the place and divided between political stances. However, the people marching and truckers were hot media because it mainly dealt with the auditory sense but also the visual sense.
    Like the freedom convoy, other movements and protests that come to mind where I think social media was the “central nervous system” is the Climate emergency, Black Lives Matter, defunding the police, and the current protests in Iran which began from Mahsa Amini’s death.

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  2. KeenanDecember 13, 2022 at 11:15 AM

    Hi Megan,

    It didn't occur to me to argue that the freedom convoys’ use of social media is both hot and cool. I appreciate your reference to the nervous system in the CBC article; it makes me think of McLuhan’s depiction of medium theory as an extension of our century self, how the world is comprised of an environment of constant speed and modality because social media spread information at high speeds. In answering your discussion question, I think The Occupy Wall Street movement lacked a clearly defined organization, much like the freedom convoy; perhaps it was a product of its era, 2011, that's all. Its overall impact fizzled out shortly after being covered on the news. This lack of apparent organization caused it to chant against the 1% of America to have the minimum impact. My youth could also be a factor as to why I don't remember it as influential as other communication professors at Laurier. Perhaps if this event had social media to the same degree as it is now, stories of the consequences of wealth disparity could find their sensory target in the minds of Americans. Thank you for a great post, and good luck next semester

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  3. Ashley Di PernaDecember 16, 2022 at 9:58 AM

    Hi Megan,

    Great post. I would say that every single grassroots protest or demonstration used social media as its "central nervous system." For people who are not in great positions of power where they can easily interact with lawmakers, social media exists as a way for the average person to gain power by finding others that believe in their cause. This is seen with the Black Lives Matter movement, which initially started as a hashtag. Another example is Idle No More, a movement that worked to gain attention for issues faced by Indigenous populations. Even though social media was the central nervous system of the Freedom Convoy in Ottawa, it was also the central nervous system of every other protest that gave a voice to the unheard.

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