“Something as simple as a change in speed can change the world”.
“In a culture like ours . . . it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operation and practical fact, the medium is the message.” Such is Marshall McLuhan’s introduction to a revolutionary concept in media studies (1964, p. 7). Written over a half-century ago, McLuhan’s view on media holds remarkably firm in a modern context. In this essay, we will be examining how “the medium is the message” applies specifically to innovations in publishing.
It is exactly this principle of media changing the world through the extension of mankind that we will test. The enhanced speed of the spread of information was, to follow McLuhan’s theory, the message of the printing press. This message caused a major shift in the balance of societal power across Europe. In today’s society, we are seeing a new message in the world of publishing, and it can again be categorised as a change in speed.
WHAT DOES MEDIA DO FOR US?
Media fulfills several basic roles in our society it can act as a source of fantasy and springboard of our imagination’s. It also provide education for us because in media we gather several information for specific purposes. Media act also as a public forum because it gather several individual opinion. The best example is through Internet which a medium that allows everyone to get online and express their own feeling or opinion.
Check out this video (Mediahttps://vimeo.com/86353738)
HOW MEDIA INFLUENCE US?
Media affects our society in several ways and controls the direction of society. Television is a source of media that has a strong effect on society today. The media affect us how we learn about our world and interact with one another. Media literally mediate our relationship with social institutions. We base most of our knowledge on government news accounts, not experience. Politicians rely on media to communicate their message. Some people define our interaction with others based on our daily basis as a diversion, sources of conflict, or a unifying force Media have an impact on society not only through the content of the message but also through the process. Media tell us what to think but not what to think about.
WHY IS MEDIA IMPORTANT?
All media have their importance and usefulness. The media serve to keep us informed of current issues. And the development of a better society through an informed public opinion.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Media fulfills several roles in society, including the following:
- entertaining and providing an outlet for the imagination,
- educating and informing,
- serving as a public forum for the discussion of important issues, and
- acting as a watchdog for government, business, and other institutions.
- Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the printing press enabled the mass production of media, which was then industrialized by Friedrich Koenig in the early 1800s. These innovations led to the daily newspaper, which united the urbanized, industrialized populations of the 19th century.
- In the 20th century, radio allowed advertisers to reach a mass audience and helped spur the consumerism of the 1920s—and the Great Depression of the 1930s. After World War II, television boomed in the United States and abroad, though its concentration in the hands of three major networks led to accusations of homogenization. The spread of cable and subsequent deregulation in the 1980s and 1990s led to more channels, but not necessarily to more diverse ownership.
- Transitions from one technology to another have greatly affected the media industry, although it is difficult to say whether technology caused a cultural shift or resulted from it. The ability to make technology small and affordable enough to fit into the home is an important aspect of the popularization of new technologies.
References:
Afonso, Sarah (Mar 6, 2013). Media Evolution. Retrieved
from https://www.slideshare.net/SaraAfonso3/media-evolution-16985385.
Schmitz, Andy. Culture and Media “The Evolution of Media”. Retrieved
from https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/culture-and-
media/s0402- the- evolution-of-media.html.
Somestickguy. (March 11, 2015) . An Essay: Media Culture – Marshall McLuhan & the
Evolution of Publishing. Retrieved from https://mcluhangalaxy.wordpress.com/2015/03/13/an-essay-media-culture-marshall-mcluhan-the-evolution-of-publishing/.
Media And Information Literacy 