McLuhan and Technology

Marshall McLuhan’s and Quentin Fiore’s   graphic novel, “The Medium is the Massage” made some very interesting points.  They claim that that written language has destroyed oral communication and that the printing press and technology has unified the world and we are living in a “small village”

When people say that written language has destroyed oral communication I have agree with them.  When people write compared to speaking they have the ability to revise and edit. The ability to go back and correct any mistakes before other people here you say it does not exist. When you speak the mannerisms that people are full of come out. In writing people often write in a very technical manner. It is true that good writers have voice but really good writers are hard to come by. Also meaning can be lost in writing because sometimes the tone one uses when they speak changes the meaning of the words. For example sarcasm is very dependent on the tone and cadence of the speaker. In writing, poets are really the only people who can get tone and cadence, even then getting those qualities perfected takes lots of work.

The printing press and other technologies have unified the world in many ways. Before the printing press books and the newspaper weren't available for most people. When the printing press was invented people across the world could be be reading the same thing. That created a unity among people that were literate.

With the invention of electronic communication one can talk to someone thousands of miles away. This means that there is a connection between people that would otherwise not know that the other existed. Instead of only being able to communicate with people in your area like a "small village" one can speak to almost anyone they choose.