McLuhan and Media as an extension of ourselves - Blog Post #4

Main Idea

A prominent idea in the teachings of McLuhan is that the media is an extension of ourselves. He proceeds to say that the wheel extends our feet, the phone extends our voice and television extends our eyes and ears. Now upon hearing this idea for the first time I was rather confused (as most of us probably were). It was when examples were provided that it all began to make sense. The way we connect and communicate with one another is almost entirely media based (the extension of ourselves). As productive as this may seem McLuhan voices concern with this premise. He says; “Rapidly, we approach the final phase of the extension of man – the technological simulation of consciousness, when the creative process of knowing will be collectively and corporately extended to the whole of human society.” I for one would argue that we are currently living in this reality. All forms of communication and media have overtaken our thoughts, communication and daily practices. The ensuing question becomes; “is this dangerous?” I think our inability to function without mediums is certainly a concern. Media as an extension of ourselves has certainly reached an extreme. At what point is our voice only the phone. What if virtual reality becomes essential and that becomes the full extension of our eyes and ears. Perhaps we as a society need to slow down when it comes to technological progression and continuously incorporating media into our lives. 

Discussion Questions


My question to you is; After reading this post do you think we as a society are heading down a dangerous path? Is media as an extension becoming too extreme? Why or why not?

Comments

  1. Maggie MerawDecember 13, 2022 at 8:38 PM

    Hey Zach, great post!
    I believe that, as a society, we are heading down a dangerous path concerning the role of media. I think that mainstream media has had a large part in this, and has had an impact on reading and writing. With the constant stream of headlines and short, attention-grabbing snippets of information, people have become less interested in reading and engaging with long articles or books. This has led to a decline in reading and writing. Also, disinformation and fake news have made it difficult for people to distinguish fact from fiction. Individuals must actively seek out diverse sources of information and engage with a variety of reading materials to counteract these negative effects.
    As an extension of society, the media is becoming too extreme. Media outlets must recognize and prioritize reporting that is accurate in order to better shape public opinion.

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