Marshall McLuhan Back in 72 C.M.U.
Last post I mentioned how having a tv located closely to my computer gave me an immediate idea for a post & I blogged the idea right on the spot. That event triggered another posting idea. Two technologies, not true convergence, but convergence by way of close proximity to each other. Two forms of electronic media. Then I suddenly remembered a class I took at Central Michigan University. It was Back in '72 - remember that great Bob Seger album? The class was called "Popular Culture". Great Instructor, just can't remember his name. 34 years ago is a long time. It's on the tip of my tongue & I'll update when I remember it. One of the subjects we studied was media & one author stuck in my mind over the years because of his writings. Marshall McLuhan was one man who would nowadays be called a future thinker or forward thinker. Understanding Media was one book we read & there are many others written by him & many books written about Mr. McLuhan. Unfortunately, I sold a good many of my collegiate books back to the college bookstore whereas they attained used status, to be resold just a little bit cheaper, and used that money to buy books for my upcoming classes. Understanding Media was one of the books I held onto because it was so different. Words of advice. Try to hold onto those college books for a while longer, if you can afford it. One day you might wish you had! They trigger great memories & ideas. Perfect for blogging.
Dug up my copy off the bookshelf of Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, A Mentor Book, 1964, ME 1760. Other numbers are worn off. Here's a sample off the first page:
GOOD-BYE TO GUTENBERG. Marshall McLuhan sees modern man as the relic of the logical, linear, "hot" culture of movable type. Stunned by his encounter with the "cool" world of mass communication, man has struggled for equilibrium- and the result has been apathy, anxiety, and alienation. The road to recovery, McLuhan suggests, is to recognize that electronic media are subtly and constantly altering our perceptual senses. The serial logic of print is fading out before the intuitive "mosaic" of instantaneous communication. Books, "contain," TV "involves." The new vision is mythic, tribal, decentralized. Man now lives in a global-sized village, and is returning to the values and perceptions of a preliterate culture. These innovative ideas have reached the forefront of national consciousness to arouse the wrath of some and the admiration of many. UNDERSTANDING MEDIA is one of those rare and incendiary books that have appeared at just the right moment in history. Remember, these words were written in 1964! See what I'm talkin' about? Cool, or is it hot?
A random sample of subjects analyzed in the book: medium is the message, hybrid energy, gadget lover, spoken word, written word, roads, paper routes, numbers, clothing, housing, money, clocks, the print, comics, printed word, wheel, bicycle, airplane, photograph, press, motorcar, ads, games, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, movies, radio, television, weapons, & automation.
Terrence Gordon writes here about Marshall McLuhan & Phillip Marchand writes here. Some great quotes of Marshall McLuhan are here.
If he had lived, I wonder what Marshall McLuhan would have thought about the compact disc, internet, world wide web, mp3's downloadable music, podcasts,blogs & blogging. He predicted today's global village. What thoughts & opinions would he have written concerning this modern media technology and today's forms of instantaneous mass communication & consumption? Check out his books. Please visit the official Marshall McLuhan website: www.MarshallMcLuhan.com uaw marshall mcluhan popular culture media
Dug up my copy off the bookshelf of Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, A Mentor Book, 1964, ME 1760. Other numbers are worn off. Here's a sample off the first page:
GOOD-BYE TO GUTENBERG. Marshall McLuhan sees modern man as the relic of the logical, linear, "hot" culture of movable type. Stunned by his encounter with the "cool" world of mass communication, man has struggled for equilibrium- and the result has been apathy, anxiety, and alienation. The road to recovery, McLuhan suggests, is to recognize that electronic media are subtly and constantly altering our perceptual senses. The serial logic of print is fading out before the intuitive "mosaic" of instantaneous communication. Books, "contain," TV "involves." The new vision is mythic, tribal, decentralized. Man now lives in a global-sized village, and is returning to the values and perceptions of a preliterate culture. These innovative ideas have reached the forefront of national consciousness to arouse the wrath of some and the admiration of many. UNDERSTANDING MEDIA is one of those rare and incendiary books that have appeared at just the right moment in history. Remember, these words were written in 1964! See what I'm talkin' about? Cool, or is it hot?
A random sample of subjects analyzed in the book: medium is the message, hybrid energy, gadget lover, spoken word, written word, roads, paper routes, numbers, clothing, housing, money, clocks, the print, comics, printed word, wheel, bicycle, airplane, photograph, press, motorcar, ads, games, telegraph, telephone, phonograph, movies, radio, television, weapons, & automation.
Terrence Gordon writes here about Marshall McLuhan & Phillip Marchand writes here. Some great quotes of Marshall McLuhan are here.
If he had lived, I wonder what Marshall McLuhan would have thought about the compact disc, internet, world wide web, mp3's downloadable music, podcasts,blogs & blogging. He predicted today's global village. What thoughts & opinions would he have written concerning this modern media technology and today's forms of instantaneous mass communication & consumption? Check out his books. Please visit the official Marshall McLuhan website: www.MarshallMcLuhan.com uaw marshall mcluhan popular culture media
posted by michigan | 7:24 PM
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