The Medium is the Message Response

            I found Marshal Mcluhan The Medium is the Message to be a very interesting read.  I really like some aspects of this book but at the same time I also disliked other elements.  I thought the way the book was put together was interesting and kept the reader’s attention.  Switching from pages of just text to just images to pages that had both text and an image kept the book feeling fresh.  Although the content was rather dull the layout made it easier to get through the reading.

            One of the first points mentioned in the reading was that society has always been shaped by the way men communicate, not by the content of their communication.  This is an interesting point because I cannot tell if I agree or disagree with it.  While it makes sense that our society would be shaped by the changing technologies that we use to communicate, I also feel it makes sense that our society is shaped by the messages passed through these means of communication.  It was not the telegraph or letter that shaped the way we thought about nuclear war but the affects of the bomb after it had been dropped.  This is one of the many examples that I believe disproves that point.

            Another thing that was mentioned in the first sixty pages that I found interesting was Mcluhan’s points on privacy.  He brings up the point that people seem to be losing their privacy because of societies need for electrical knowledge.  I agree with this and believe we are seeing this even more so now.  Everywhere you go you need to give your information.  Even if you just want to buy groceries from the supermarket you have to at least give your email.  This increased need for companies to know your information seems very unnecessary to me. 

            Lastly I would like to talk about the section complied of images and phrases explaining how the media is an extension of all of us.  While I agree books can be considered an extension of our eye’s and clothing can be an extension of our skin I disagree with some of the others.   I do not think electric circuits can be considered an extension of the central nervous system.  Electric circuits resemble the central nervous system; they do not enhance the ways in which our nervous system operates.  I believe this section is one of many sections that seems far-fetched to me. I thought The Medium is the Message was an interesting read I found some parts to be a little exaggerated or forced. 

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