Marshall McLuhan's The Medium Is The Message (Best Explanation) - 1977

In this classic 1977 interview for the Monday Show on ABC, the great philosopher of media, Marshall McLuhan, summarizes his biggest ideas three years before his death.

He touches on...

The medium is the message
Hot vs cold media
The impact and art of advertising
Benefits and disadvantage of various media

His ideas are even more relevant today given how much time we spend on media.

For example, the average person worldwide spends a jaw-dropping 11+ hours per day watching TV, listening to radio/podcasts, reading books/magazines/newspapers, or interacting on social media.

This is profound.

Put differently, media is central to the modern human experience.

We spend more time on media than we do with friends, family, food, or sex. And for many people, even more time than work.

Therefore, we should know more about its impact on us, and use it for the greatest good.

The challenge is that many of the impacts are invisible. McLuhan says:

“Hidden aspects of the media are the things that should be taught, because they have an irresistible force when invisible. When these factors remain ignored and invisible, they have an absolute power over the user.”

To understand the media's impact, we can't just pay attention to content, we need to pay attention to context. That's why McLuhan famously said:

"The medium is the message."

Once we start looking for the water we swim in, we slowly see it, and the world changes. We see patterns that were once invisible. Or as McLuhan said...

“Once you see the boundaries of your environment, they are no longer the boundaries of your environment.”

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