“The Medium is the Message”
“The Medium is the Message” is a statement made by Marshall McLuhan in 1964, concerning the way in which the perception of a medium, in other words ‘the form in which a message is presented’, determines the audience’s perception of that message. The statement means to emphasise how our pre-set expectations of different mediums such as newspapers, television, movies or documentaries effect what messages we receive. For example, if you were to watch a documentary about exorcisms and possessions, you would give it more credit than watching a horror movie, even if it claims to be ‘based on true events’. This is because we have a predetermined view that documentaries will present us with credible facts, to educate or inform us, whilst a movie’s only purpose is for entertainment. The validity of this statement is
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Minimalism is present in communities on social media, books have been published and journalists are reporting on the impact it has had on society. Clearly the way in which the case for minimalism is presented was effective in convincing the audience that their lives are better with less. The text, visuals and audio used within the documentary to convey this message were implemented in such a way that they both confronted the audience about selfish consumerism, whilst also convincing them that it was not entirely their own fault, but they could change their lives in their own way to live with less and become happier. This documentary is a clear demonstration of the validity of “the medium is the message”, as the viewers expectation of a documentary are cleverly manipulated, through the visuals, text and audio to influence us into a minimalistic lifestyle, and the effectiveness of this is evident in the global groups and movements towards minimalism we can see through the
It’s evident that humanity has achieved seemingly impossible feats through technology and inventions; yet, it’s equally clear that technology can be a mindless distraction from unavoidable life issues that individuals try to escape. Though technology was intended for good, something people can benefit from, it’s become a quick escape for people so that they may easily sit and drool before a colored screen instead of applying themselves to something meaningful. Television and social media has hindered humanity because of its uselessness. It is an unnecessary addition to people’s daily routine that ultimately allows people to pretend to be involved in society, but in reality it creates a means to evade responsibility and endeavors.
The argument can be made that, instead of appealing to the lowest common denominator in the public, at least some media should give the more informed and critical segment of the people what it wants (Lazere 305). The people are considered to be the largest segment of the audience and that should be enough evidence for the media members to make the news tailor made for the viewing public. When confronted with said evidence, most media members blame it on education. “One professional consultant who pioneered these formats justified them by claiming, “People who watch television the most are unread, uneducated, untraveled and unable to concentrate on single subjects more than a minute or two.” (Lazere 306).
It is through the interaction with others and the world around them that individuals socialised. We as individuals are able to reaffirm our beliefs, values and attitudes of ourselves, others and the broader within our social context, through the communication with the people around us. The influence of technology and relationships in their respective context is exhibited in both texts which leads to a change in the individual’s perceptions. M.T. Anderson’s novel ‘Feed’ depicts a dystopian society and presents a satirical vision on consumerism and advertising, through the use of a piece of technology called the ‘feed’. Anderson demonstrates his beliefs and concern for future generations, as he questions the concurrent impact of technology.
For this rhetorical analysis essay I decided to reflect upon the somewhat recent documentary titled “The Social Dilemma”. From gen-zians to baby boomers, this film was dedicated to educating people on the impact of social media on today’s society as we have entered a tech-frenzy world. Just like many other people, I wanted to see what the craze was about when this film was produced back in 2020. From interviews with former tech company employees to societal examples, Jeff Orlowski used various rhetorical strategies to convey an important message within his world-famous film. Growing up during a time where social media was just developing and kids weren’t glued to their iPad’s, I have very clearly noticed the effects social media has had on,
The main media’s used are social media and television which are the main focus of chapter 9. Shirky’s article “Why I Just Asked My Students To Put Their Laptops Away” begins to talk about a way that people investigate and draw conclusions about the intersection of technology and everyday life. While Elavia writes about how reality shows are viewer driven rather producer or network driven. One thing social media and television have in common is how much of an impact they have on today. Everywhere you look there are ‘perfect’ images being displayed representing unrealistic goals.
Unit 3:Effective communication in health and social care Learning aim A:investigate different form of communication We can All communication A community centre A family centre
The issue of technology and social media has started to change the way society runs today. The obsessiveness and addiction has caused the world to be impacted negatively. One day, a man described his experience while observing a family in a cafe. He noticed that everyone in the family but the mom was using their phone, “Sad and alone in the company
Materialism is a problem in American society, everyday people go for the next best thing just to show off their possessions. People show off what they have, and once they get tired of it, they begin to go for the latest, cellular devices, clothing’s, cars etc. According to Tim Kasser, “People develop ideals looking at the lives of their friends, neighbors, co-workers, and relatives” (Kasser52). What he is trying to say is, instead of every person helping each other expand in life, everyone is in rivalry with one another. In order to make an attempt at fixing the American society, making it less materialistic, people must become and think correspondingly of a minimalist.
In The views of The Birmingham School, media culture induces individuals to conform to the established organization of society but it also lends resources that can empower individual against that society. (Kellner, D (1995)) In conclusion, calling attention to mass media, cultural studies relates to how the audience can decode the messages put forward by the media. More specifically in relation to their individual socio and economic background. This in turn can lead to the rejection of the dominant ideology.
The structure of media messages is deliberately crafted and packaged to persuade, inform, entertain, and to educate a target audience. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher that created the five canons of rhetoric which includes Arrangement, delivery, memory, style and invention. All media messages have a structure using the five canons of rhetoric analysis of content. Invention Invention is the first principle of rhetoric.
According to Baran (2012) mass communication can be defined as “the process of creating shared meaning between the mass media and their audiences.” This essay aims to discuss the degree to which we are shaped by our interaction with the media. In order to achieve the aforementioned aim of this essay I will focus on the following: limited-effects theory, two-step flow theory, attitude change theory and agenda setting. The limited effects theory sets out that media influence is based on individual and social characteristics.
The two key topics in class in the last weeks, for me. Two of the most relevant topics developed in the last weeks were: non-verbal communication and the barriers to communication. Everytime we communicate with another person or group of people, we have to take into account some factors other than what we are actually saying that can affect how the message is going to be received: body language, tone, intonation, facial expressions, and others; this is what we understand for non-verbal communication. As we saw in class “55% of communication is body language, 38% is the tone of voice, and 7% is the actual words spoken.”
The world today is overflowing with technological gizmos which have greatly affected the lives of people. People have become overly dependent on technology. The technology seems to have control over our lives. Over the last decade, it has done nothing but become more advance from day to day. Gadgets such as computers, smart phones, and television have been invented over time to make our lives easier and more convenience.
In society today, communication classes are highly over looked because of our new developing technology. People don’t realize how much a communication class could benefit them. We have lost sight of verbal communication skills. This class has taught me to put my phone down and communicate with others. It has opened my eyes to the real world without technology.
The world we live in today is predominately changing with the advancement of digital communication in the daily aspects of our life. The rapid growth and evolution of digital communication, has resulted in it now becoming the backbone of the way we interact with other people. Beginning from simple 160-character SMS messages to text’s influence on the internet including Facebook, Twitter, Blogs and Instagram and then introduced on our mobile phones with BBM and whatsapp; digital communication has become a part of our spoken discourse. Digital communication in every aspect has impacted our lives as it helps jobs and businesses communicate a lot faster through e-mail, multimedia and texting.