In the short passage of The Medium is the Message by Marshall McLuhan, he explains his views on the transition from verbal communication to writing words down on a paper, and also the constant advancement of technology. McLuhan proposed that writing words on a paper led to inventions such as book, roads and more. At the same time, writing caused Western society to live in a world of invisible lines. He emphasized that alphabet had no true meaning until lines were added to it. Also that before writing the world had no restrictions. McLuhan hypothesized that this shift in technology improved Western’s society as well as limited it. His passage was both agreed and was a counterargument to Mike Masnick’s essay, “Did Pencils Make us Dumber?”.
In …show more content…
The invention of writing allowed an easier access to book and an advancement in inventions. Even though reading a book is not a direct form of communication, it could allow for a great conversation with one that has also read a similar book. Yet, according to McLuhan, books began isolating those who grew fond of them. He also continued on to point out that because of the isolation and books, there came “the new cult of individualism.” (McLuhan 13). However, technology such as the internet has improved international communication by allowing people from all over the world to communicate and enjoy the same moments. Although modern technology does not force humans to speak face to face, it allows less sociable people to gain social etiquette. Masnick’s essay reflects upon the concerns of modern technology and the disapproving of it by others. In addition, he mentions that he cannot agree with those who preach upon the negative effects of growing technology, because there still are not any facts to support their ideas (Masnick 1). Even though McLuhan and Masnick have different views, Plato and McLuhan both saw negative outcomes of …show more content…
In McLuhan passage he made it known that, “The hand that filled the parchment page built a city.” (McLuhan 13). Plato and McLuhan spoke on the effects of writing that they have witnessed. Plato established that writing caused problems in the memories of those who depended on it. He stated that if we continue to write, “Our memory will become weak.” (Masnick 3). McLuhan noticed something a bit different. Along with noticing the individualistic activities that came with writing, he noticed that writing guided Western’s society to live in lines. He pointed out that we did gain some things out of writing, but we also lost some creativity. With pictures and quotes McLuhan supports his idea on the linear effects of ink being put on paper. Even though this thought is not proven by scientific facts, he uses pictures to prove that our everyday activities are done in lines. We read in lines, work in something called an assembly line, and draw in lines. In a way, the beginning of technology did shrink the creativity of its users and began the life of invisible lines. The growth of technology has always had its flaws but it also made the way for new
In …show more content…
The invention of writing allowed an easier access to book and an advancement in inventions. Even though reading a book is not a direct form of communication, it could allow for a great conversation with one that has also read a similar book. Yet, according to McLuhan, books began isolating those who grew fond of them. He also continued on to point out that because of the isolation and books, there came “the new cult of individualism.” (McLuhan 13). However, technology such as the internet has improved international communication by allowing people from all over the world to communicate and enjoy the same moments. Although modern technology does not force humans to speak face to face, it allows less sociable people to gain social etiquette. Masnick’s essay reflects upon the concerns of modern technology and the disapproving of it by others. In addition, he mentions that he cannot agree with those who preach upon the negative effects of growing technology, because there still are not any facts to support their ideas (Masnick 1). Even though McLuhan and Masnick have different views, Plato and McLuhan both saw negative outcomes of …show more content…
In McLuhan passage he made it known that, “The hand that filled the parchment page built a city.” (McLuhan 13). Plato and McLuhan spoke on the effects of writing that they have witnessed. Plato established that writing caused problems in the memories of those who depended on it. He stated that if we continue to write, “Our memory will become weak.” (Masnick 3). McLuhan noticed something a bit different. Along with noticing the individualistic activities that came with writing, he noticed that writing guided Western’s society to live in lines. He pointed out that we did gain some things out of writing, but we also lost some creativity. With pictures and quotes McLuhan supports his idea on the linear effects of ink being put on paper. Even though this thought is not proven by scientific facts, he uses pictures to prove that our everyday activities are done in lines. We read in lines, work in something called an assembly line, and draw in lines. In a way, the beginning of technology did shrink the creativity of its users and began the life of invisible lines. The growth of technology has always had its flaws but it also made the way for new