Looking Back On Marshall McLuhan's Views On Media

Three strong points and three limitations of McLuhan's ideas.

Marshall McLuhan was an English professor whose work was pioneering in the field of media theory. His work focused on exploring how different forms of media impact human behavior. He authored several books and coined the phrases the "Medium Is The Message" and "the Global village".

Strong Points

McLuhan believed any communication medium is more influential than the messages sent via that medium. This is because the medium impacts how society processes data, how humans think and relate to the world around them. He believed this changes societies over long periods. I believe McLuhan was correct in both these beliefs.

For example, when humans communicated orally, listening and speaking clearly, was important in an environment dominated by sound. When the alphabet and writing were created, sight became the most important sense. Reading could be done in solitude, which led to the individualization of both people and nations.

The next big evolution was electronic media: telegraphs, radio, telephones, televisions. These devices, with their ability to cross vast distances, re-tribalized society. McLuhan deemed this new phenomenon the Global Village. I believe McLuhan was correct in that he believed that these communication mediums created spaces for human interactions. Like the town squares or coffee houses in centuries past.

Limitations

McLuhan claimed the world would become a global village, but this has not truly been achieved. While people in different geographical areas are connected, their interactions are still mostly limited to those who speak their same language. Language is still a barrier until like in sci-fi movies a universal translator is created.  

Another limitation is that there is segregation based on philosophy. Users tend to speak with others who share their views. The more media choices and communications options the more polarization.

The third limitation is that the medium is the message describes subtle structural change over time that is difficult to gauge via empirical evidence. How do gauge the true impact of a medium on society? Can we truly understand for instance the impact of TV on society? Especially with newer forms of communications such as social media of which there are multiple forms.