Finding the medium

Leaving this weeks lecture about “medium is the message” I wasn’t sure whether I was confused or understanding of what this actually meant. In 1964 Marshall McLuhan developed the idea that the when relaying information the medium is of upmost importance and is in fact the message. I understood the concept but struggled to put it into words. It wasn’t until I came across Eric McLuhan’s statement in the article “Commonly asked questions (and answers), that I could put my thoughts into words.

Each medium, independent of the content it mediates, has its own intrinsic effects which are its unique message.

Eric McLuhan (Marshall’s eldest son)

My recent understanding of “the message is the message” has now been replaced with this idea of the medium being the important key to determining the message it carries. This week I have learnt that as a person, I have my own medium, my own message and it’s in my control what my audience receives. The message is controlled by the medium and I believe this is an extremely important concept to understand.

The example that immediately came to mind when researching into this topic, was the way that we as individuals portray ourselves through social media. As a teenager I am guilty of caring what other people think and how they perceive me and using platforms such as instagram to express myself, my lifestyle and my fashion through perfectly arranged images and videos. I use instagram, the photos I post and the clothes I wear as my medium, creating the message I want to create. It’s a platform to express my personality to others in a way I feel comfortable and confident.

References:

McLuhan, E., n.d. Commonly Asked Questions About Mcluhan – The Estate Of Marshall Mcluhan. [online] Marshallmcluhan.com. Available at: <https://www.marshallmcluhan.com/common-questions/&gt; [Accessed 19 March 2020].

McLuhan, M., 1964. Marshall Mcluhan: Medium Is The Message Http://Web.Mit.Edu/Allanmc/Www/Mcluhan.Mediummessage.Pdf – Fox Writing. [online] Fox Writing. Available at: <https://www.foxwriting.com/marshall-mcluhan-medium-is-the-message-httpweb-mit-eduallanmcwwwmcluhan-mediummessage-pdf/&gt; [Accessed 21 March 2020].