MediaSpace Wiki

Mc Luhanesqe

A term that generally suggests a somewhat overstated probe of the capabilities of media. McLuhan's better known probes include:

• The Global Village
• The Medium is the Message
• Media hot and cool
• Acoustic Space
• Discarnate Man
• Centers and Margins
• Light-Through/Light-On
• Everyone a publisher
• Turning Nature into an Art Form

Here are some new probes I've been thinking about:

a useful McLuhanesqe probe: opt-in media versus co-opted in media.

Peter Darnell Is inclusion not a central message of new media? Or is the real human message technological overload?

Davis Foulger We always adapt to overload. The easiest way to adapt to overload is to ignore things (like the perspective of the political party you disagree with). Your point is interesting, thoug. One might useful restate my prove as opt-out media versus co-opted in media (e.g. you can opt-in or out of consuming anything on the internet, but if you are consuming radio, television, or newspapers, you are coopted in to viewing the advertisements).

Inclusion is another issue insofar as internet media are more likely to be explicitly social (and therefore inclusive) than broadcast/published mass media, but I would say that social versus asocial would make a better probe than inclusive versus exclusive.

Peter Darnell Well this raises another great point. I think TV published/broadcast media are inclusive, but not participatory or interactive., while the internet is interactive. You could almost argue that the communal privacy that TV affords is more social and inclusive than the internet. I dont have the metrics comparing how many folks are on Facebook compared to how many own a TV in this country, bu when the Superbowl is on TV, for example, the heart and soul of what is driving the inclusiveness (did you see the game last night?) is happening on TV not on the internet. (I am referring to content not advertising)

So what is the message of the medium of TV? We like to be entertained/informed en masse? vs. the internet- the message for which might be: I want to be a star, or have the most friends, or make the most money, or cause or be responsible for something good. Participation is more ego driven. Which is really more social?