Mass Media and McLuhan's Media Ecology Theory

Mass Media and McLuhan's Media Ecology Theory

Mass Media

• A "mass" audience is reached.
• Medium/media are used to reach this audience. Examples include:
  • Print: pamphlets, tracts, newspapers, magazines, billboards.
  • Electronic: telephone, radio, television, internet.

McLuhan's 4 Eras of Media History

• The theory outlines four distinct eras characterized by the dominant form of communication:
  • The Tribal Era
  • The Literate Era
  • The Print Era
  • The Electronic Era

The Tribal Era

• Oral tradition was embraced as the primary means of communication.
• The ear was the paramount sensory organ.
• Storytelling played a central role in this era.

The Literate Era

• Written communication flourished.
• The eye became the dominant sense organ.
• This era was marked by the creation of the phonetic alphabet.

The Print Era

• Gaining information through the printed word became customary.
• The eye remained the dominant sense.
• The printing press brought knowledge to the masses.
• There was less reliance on memory for knowledge due to the availability of printed materials.
• Homogenization of society occurred as information became more standardized.
• The concept of "The Public" emerged.

The Electronic Era

• This is the era we currently live in.
• Electronic media pervades our senses.
• Electronic media has returned us to a state of tribalization, creating a "global village."

"The Medium is the Message"

• The medium matters most, not necessarily the content it carries.
• Content is still important, but…
• The meaning of content is heavily influenced by the medium in which it is presented.
• Examples provided to illustrate this:
  • Experiencing Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (the medium through which you experience the story changes your perception).
  • Interpret Kennedy v. Nixon (1960) debates (the medium through which people watched the debate heavily influenced people's perception of each candidate).