Hi Reddit,
I’m currently studying for my first media & communications final and I’m having trouble with Marshall McLuhan’s theory about “the medium is the message”. I understand that it’s more about the choice of medium rather than what the message is saying, but in what way? I’ve tried googling and watching videos, but I still don’t quite understand it.
Can anyone help me?
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The simplest example I can find: if you’re breaking up with your partner, is there a difference in doing it in person vs over the phone? Or by voicemail? Or in a text? What about an email? A social media post? A billboard, or a sky writer?
The content of the message has one semantic meaning, but how that message is delivered to its audience carries with it its own meaning.
You would necessarily trust information coming to you from the President of the US via TikTok, but if it’s in an emergency broadcast over TV/radio, you’ll take it a bit more seriously.
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