This post was a bit of a struggle for me in the beginning as I didn’t really understand Marshall McLuhan’s theory that “medium is the message.” I have an idea but the reading was stiff and I had to dig dip for the meaning and research. First, medium is defined as an agency or means of doing something. Writer Tabitha David explained it further, “This theory helps to explain why we communicate through more than one medium.” (Tabitha David. VAC) This was true when Marshall coined this term and it still rigs true today because there are many different mediums and social media has a lot. There are different handles like Twitter, Facebook and my favorite Instagram. In all these ways, we can convey a message. So, in theory, the way that a message is conveyed which is the medium is the message.
In the reading McCluhan stated, “For the message of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that introduces into human affairs.. The railroad did not introduce movement or transportation or wheel or road into human society but it accelerated and enlarged the scale of previous human functions…” (McCluhan Pg.1) This means that even though one would think the train –the railroad which is the medium isn’t just a away a way of doing something in other words taking people to their destinations. It is more than that, it is the message because instead of looking at the railroad in one way it is also a part of a movement that expanded and did many things for humans as we don’t have to walk for hours to get somewhere. The railroad, the medium does this and that is the message.
As I read further it became clearer when I read Napoleon’s statement, “Napoleon had paid attention to other media as well, especially the semaphore telegraph that gave him a great advantage over his enemies, He is on record for saying that “Three hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets.” (McCluhan, Pg. 5) That statement speaks volumes regarding the theory that medium is the message. How it is conveyed was very important and Napoleon knew that three angry news outlets were detrimental than any other thing. That stands even to this day. The media is a beast and that message can be very scary and intimidating and with social media it has only become worse.
