W15_B3

Do you agree with Marshall McLuhan that the medium is the message, i.e. that the format or logic of a medium is as important as its content and, in fact, determines what content will be broadcast through that channel? Evaluate his idea that television is a cool medium.

First of all, I agree with Marshall McLuhan when he states, “the medium is the message.” According to Sarah Trenholm, “he was expressing the beliefs that the channel through which a message is transmitted is as important as the message itself and that the channel, in fact often determines which messages will be transmitted and which will be ignored” (Trenholm 2008, pg. 307). Today, we have so many different types of mediums such as: linear or print media (i.e. - email, text messaging, blackberry, computers, etc.) and mosaic (i.e. - TV, video, CD, DVD, etc.) A good example is trying to reach my son who is away at college. I used to send him emails, but I got no answer. So then, I called him on his cell phone and left a voicemail, but still no answer. So, finally I decided to use text messaging. Ah hah! I finally got a text message back from him or he called me. It is the same at work, if I need to reach someone urgently, I will call their office number. If no answer, I send an email and I call them on their cell phone.

In addition, I agree with McLuhan’s ideas that television is a cool medium. Sarah Trenholm argues, “Because television is what McLuhan refers to as a cool medium, it demands that viewers fill in detail…Exposure to a constant barrage of highly arousing and rapidly changing images (such as those found on TV) changes the way we think” (Trenholm 2008. pg. 307-308). Due to all that we view on the television, the American people are said to have the microwave attitude, “We want things in an instant!” Instead of watching all the commercials in between my NCIS or CSI-NY, I would prefer to record it and then watch it later as I fast forward during the commercials.