No, the expression "The Medium is the Message" refers to the fact that new media change, not the message, but the audience. This almost prescient understanding of the cognitive impact of new forms is a McLuhan fundamental.
In this video you describe McLuhan's observation that every new medium engulfs older media. This reminds me of Arthur Koestler's concept of 'holons' and 'holarchies' found in his book, The Ghost in the Machine.
It sounds like you or McLuhan are saying that the medium is wholly determinative. Is this necessarily the case, or could it be that a medium merely heavily distorts its content toward a particular outcome, with some room left to resist that tendency? And what counts as part of a "medium"? Is it the raw hypothetical capabilities of the physical devices themselves, or is it the way they are used in really existing society? What if TV has a great educational potential that is never used?
![Nassim Taleb: How Things Gain from Disorder [Entire Talk]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/B2-QCv-hChY/mqdefault.jpg)
John, you're my hero. A learned man; an absolute free-spirit.
No, the expression "The Medium is the Message" refers to the fact that new media change, not the message, but the audience. This almost prescient understanding of the cognitive impact of new forms is a McLuhan fundamental.
In this video you describe McLuhan's observation that every new medium engulfs older media. This reminds me of Arthur Koestler's concept of 'holons' and 'holarchies' found in his book, The Ghost in the Machine.
Great channel. Simple understanding and straightforward content. Thank you!
Are there anymore videos on this?
It sounds like you or McLuhan are saying that the medium is wholly determinative. Is this necessarily the case, or could it be that a medium merely heavily distorts its content toward a particular outcome, with some room left to resist that tendency? And what counts as part of a "medium"? Is it the raw hypothetical capabilities of the physical devices themselves, or is it the way they are used in really existing society? What if TV has a great educational potential that is never used?
Lucid summary of a prescient, seminal essay.