A McLuhan Before His Time
Marshall McLuhan’s Technological Determinism gained traction during the rise of television. Up until this point, media could only be communicated in print, radio, or by word of mouth. Television offered a new unique view of media. It allowed the viewer to use multiple senses to view this media and a means to communicate with those other the other side of the world. While McLuhan’s ideas stemmed from this invention, his ideas seem to resonate even more during the electronic age.
The first idea central idea that McLuhan had was as communication technology and methods have changed over the course of human history, social organization has changed accordingly. McLuhan passed away in 1980. He was unable to see the progression of technology that we now have today. However, with the rise of the internet and smartphones. Communication and the constant transfer of information have advanced immensely. We now have access to media at any time. We can communicate with people on the other side of the world in seconds. It is expected that most of society has a smartphone to do this.
This brings us to his next idea, society is changed by the dominant way in which messages are communicated. As mentioned earlier, most of society is expected to have a smartphone. This is the dominant way to communicate as of now. This concept can also apply to social media platforms. Gen Z dominates TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, while older generations dominate Facebook. TikTok is a perfect example of how society was changed due to the app's success. “TikTok dances” have impacted the music industry as well as video games like Fortnite. The music on the app has integrated itself into other media areas and ultimately impacted society.
This also touches on his third and final idea of a “global village.” The tribal paradigm is the first form of communication, based on word of mouth or experiences of others. McLuhan believed that technology allows people to interact almost in the same way… without the limit of geography. Smartphones and apps connect us to people all over the world at any time. Conversations can happen between someone in New York and Italy instantly. TikTok, Twitter, and Instagram all give us access to users all over the world. Posts can be seen instantly no matter how far the original poster is away. TikTok users are all aware of the same “trend” as it's happening.
There are some limitations to McLuhan’s theories is the access to multiple media. We live in a society where we can view media in many different forms. Because of the easy access we all have to media, we also have to be wary of the content we’re exposed to. Social media is prone to fake news. Can this limit society's advancement if we keep spreading misinformation? Another limitation is demographic differences. As mentioned earlier, older generations dominate Facebook. Are the information and messages different on Facebook than on other social platforms? This can also lead to inconsistencies in the media. If other groups tend to advance in different ways compared to other groups, how will this affect society’s advancement?
Although McLuhan’s ideas resonate with today’s electronic society, the increase in media outlets almost raises more questions. As technology advances, as we know it will, we will have to wait and see what form of media starts to dominate in society’s eyes.
