Critique of McLuans hot and cool theory- Blog #4

Throughout our class, we have thoroughly explained McLuhan's hot and cool theory. When McLuhan says that hot and cool media has certain effects on hot and cool societies, this is a technological determinist perspective because he is saying that technology makes direct changes to society. This may be too simplistic of an argument and should rather be looked at with the theory of the smooth and the striated created by Deleuze and Guattari. The striated is a regulated pattern, such as stitching on clothes, while the smooth, there is no observable repetition or rules of patterns such as wool. Communication media can be looked at in this way. For example, speech is smooth because the conversation can go anywhere, and there are no rules as to where the conversation has to lead. Also, the internet can be used without a regulated pattern, and an individual can freely dictate what they interact with. A book is striated because there is only one way to read it that would make sense, begging to end. When looking at media as smooth and striated vs hot and cool, it provides individuals with a more flexible framework because something that is striated can become smooth and vice versa. An example of this is the stitching on a sweater can lose its pattern when placed under a microscope. While the internet is smooth by design, if you view academic articles on the internet, it's a very striated space because they are governed by strict rules. Ultimately all media can be both smooth and striated depending on how you look at it rather than be confined to two separate and distinct categories, and the effects on society can be diverse. 

After reading this post, has your perspective of how society should be looked at shifted? Do you think that the smooth and the striated theory provides a better perspective on how media affects society?