Marshall McLuhan

Understanding Media

1. IDEA 1

   The medium matters more than content

   McLuhan argues that the form of a medium, such as print, radio or television, has deeper effects on society than the content it carries. He summed this up in his famous slogan about the medium and the message.

2. IDEA 2

   Media extend our bodies

   McLuhan describes media and technologies as extensions of human senses and abilities. The wheel extends the foot, and electric media extend the nervous system. On this view, each new medium reaches further than the human body could by itself.

3. IDEA 3

   Media can be hot or cool

   McLuhan divides media into hot, which give lots of detail and need little participation, and cool, which need more audience involvement. In his scheme, a lecture asks little of the audience, while a conversation asks much more.

All 8 ideas from Understanding Media →