If It Works It's Obsolete Analysis

Marshall McLuhan, who was a Canadian communication theorist, was very much interested in technology and how it shapes the advanced modern society. His very famous theory was “the medium is the message” which means that the resource used or mode through which they are presenting shows the message, not really the content. This theory then leads to how technology is seen as an extension to human senses. McLuhan stated, “Media have powerful effects on societies. Moreover, media become extensions of ourselves; extensions of our human senses” (Laughey, 2010, p. 33). Just like the way our eyes see, our nose smell, our skin feels and our other senses have their function, McLuhan emphasis the fact that technology is the extension of our psychological, social and intellectual (inner) senses. In relation to Television as a technology, McLuhan would agree that technology is an extension to our human sense due to the fact that in recent days it is something that is used everyday. Humans use

Marshall McLuhen published Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man in 1964. This writing served as the basis of Carr's ideas. Technology, as it is today, is changing our brains. The Shallows explores the debate over the powers and perils of modern technology.

When Marshall McLuhan coined the phrase “the medium is the message” back in 1967, we were facing a very different society than we are today. His focus was of course on the mediums of the time: radio, newsprint and television. Mark Federman, a Chief Strategist for the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology asserts in his article, What is the Meaning of the Medium is the Message? (2004), McLuhan was not speaking directly about the medium itself. His thought process went to a deeper level. Federman “note[s] that it is not the content or use of innovation, but the change in inter-personal dynamics that the innovation brings with it” that is the issue. In a world that we can now access hundreds of thousands of bits of information in milliseconds, we can certainly see a shift in media influence. Today we can actually watch events as they unfold, whether they are events for a greater good or events of horrific acts of terrorism, technology has enabled society to be omnipresent. Melody Thompson (2011) refers to Jaron Lanier in discussing how technology shapes our relationship to itself. She notes that Lanier believes technology imposes on us its own viewpoint and that shapes our decisions. In a world where we live with a 24 hour news cycle and news stations that can skew their reporting to send the message they want their viewers to hear, it is quite prophetic when Lanier states “it

Marshall McLuhan’s phrase is meant to convey the fact that it’s the medium itself that is important, not what the medium may produce. Anyone may have a piece of print in their hands, and it doesn’t matter what they’re actually reading, the fact they have a piece of print is important. The evolution of technology has allowed multiple mediums of communication to br brought into the world. These various mediums of communication; newspapers, phones, radio, televisions, and computers, are so important for the world.

In today’s society, media is present in our lives 24/7 allowing it to have a major influence on our culture in both positive and negative ways.

The momentum of obsolescence became increasingly stronger as the decades passed, and in contemporary society, the dynamics of planned, technological, and psychological obsolescence is unmistakable. Today, products are made of faulty parts, and have become gradually more expensive to repair. Consumers are now forced to weigh up the price of repair alongside the price of a replacement, giving them little choice but to pick the easier alternative and replace the item. An example of this modern triad of obsolescence can be seen within the “Apple Conspiracy”, where it is alleged that Apple releases software updates for iPhones that instead of enhancing the performance of the phone as promised, actually degrade it by making the phone slow, and decrease the battery life. Coincidentally, this often occurs when the newest model of the iPhone is released, prompting frustrated users to either upgrade their phone, or deal with a degraded product. The conspiracy’s major mainstream moment was an article in the New York Times by Catherine Rampell:

With the invention of the printing press, during the middle ages, media has become the driving force of our society. With the printing press, books and newspapers became readily available to the common folk. Although, many people were not able to read Latin during the time, the printing press soon paved the way to translated version of texts into common language. This was a huge factor in the enlightenment period, where people moved away from the church and began to use science in their lives. Today the media has grown to such an extent that it controls almost every aspect our lives.

Throughout the years, popular culture has grown into an intellectually battle. Steven Johnson affirms that “the popuIar media steadily, but almost imperceptibly”, made “our minds sharper”. Johnson can be looked as an ideal example of the good impact the media has on its people. He doesn’t judge the negative advertisement, the numerous crimes presented on a daily basis or the violent television dramas but he explains how these are just a shell, a mantle and underneath it reveals a machinery meant to challenge and develop people’s mind.

Marshall McLuhan famously said, “The medium is the message.” I don’t believe that the media of production is indistinguishable to the message because the content still exists as a separate entity to that of its form, however I agree to some extent with McLuhan’s proposed idea that the medium is of equal importance to the message being communicated.

Tommy Jones begged, pleaded, and hoped beyond hope for that new touch screen phone that would immediately move him up the social ranks at his school. His wish was granted on Christmas morning. He was rewarded with that sleek, black phone with 4G capabilities. Two months later the next phone in that series is out; it is almost an exact clone of the first model with the most moderate changes, and suddenly Tommy’s phone is obsolete. There was no great improvement when compared to the old model, no; the corporation knows that it will sell, no matter how small the improvement. This model of constant obsolescence has become the norm in the economy today; companies reap profits with mediocre products, completely uncaring of the consumers. To put

From experience, I for one believe that technology has had a major impact on my culture , In Fiji if a man wished to be with a woman by our culture he has to go and let the woman’s family know about his intentions of being with the woman and ask them for permission before taking her out on a date. Nowadays this important part of our culture is history, a man just has to call the woman on her cell phone and ask her out on a date without her parents knowing. Now that I look at the changes that have happened in my culture, I think that it is a shame to watch our culture and traditions being influenced by technology. McLuhan with his writing’s makes us think about the power of technology and its abilities to rearrange society.

In 1949 Harvey J Earl of General Motors pioneered ‘Planned Obsolescence’. He realised that by adding fashionable products when new trends come in older products would be discarded in favour of the latest fashion.

Cannibalization – when Apple releases a new product of the same range (e.g. a new iPhone) then the sales in the previous model/version plummet as the new product is introduced.

Media has become a powerful source of knowledge, and a great breakthrough in human history. Who can regret that media is a daily need in our lives. Media has the ability and control to adjust to all levels of knowledge in people. Media helps us to escape from our daily lives and our problems in times of stress. Thou Media as proved to be beneficial by educating, entertaining and informing us, it has also have its downfall, to cause many bad influences to the younger audience. Media has influenced us to conduct bad behavior, breed violence among teens and fear to the public, thus causing a lot of negative conflicts among ourselves. Television, Music, Internet, and more, are just some of the media exposure that needs to be censored and

“The medium is the message,” uttered by the late media scholar and theorist Marshall McLuhan, and they have been revered and dissected ever since they were spoken. There has been several different interpretations on the premise of McLuhan’s words, and the meaning behind them. The best way to start unraveling his theory, is to get a general understanding of the terms used in his famous quote. In McLuhan’s own words, a medium is simply “an extension of ourselves.” Simply put the medium personifies or enhances what we as humans cannot do on our own. In a mass media perspective this means the use of technology including radio, television, and the Internet to project our thoughts, feelings, and senses (Frederman) . Finally, it is important to