McLuhan & Postmodernism

Marshall McLuhan’s The Medium is the Massage was published in 1967 and is still prevalent in our society today. McLuhan gives “insight into the rear-view mirror, invisible environment, the end of nature, sensory impact set against the everyday imagery of mass media, consumer goods, the press, advertising, and the arts.” (McLuhan, 1) McLuhan’s perceptions of life through technology were in the 1960’s where the first cell phone wasn’t even created yet. There was no social media, yet he still touches upon the idea that society does not have “privacy.” His book was written at a very important time: the shift from the modern era to postmodern era, which will be discussed in this essay.

“Nothing can be further from the spirit of the new technology than ‘a place for everything and everything in its place.’ You can’t go home.” (16) McLuhan states this referring to the modern era. This era was sparked by the Enlightenment, a time of discovery and knowledge, and then into the period of Industrialization in the 19th century. McLuhan speaks of 1967, a time in between the modern era and post- modern era. He wrote this book at a critical time: right as the Internet was about to be discovered. The modern era was a communication revolution. Everything was progressing but the society still valued order and. The printing press caused the mass production and information, which spread quickly and to far places. It enabled different countries and culture to be informed and gain knowledge of other places, politics, economic differences and practices, and lifestyles. It was the spark that leads into radio and television. The modern era also focused on mass culture and nationalism due to the rise of communication mediums. In the late 1960’s society started to shift into a counter- culture that is called “postmodernism.” This movement is what sparked McLuhan’s analysis of media in society.

The postmodern era is what we are living in today. It is an era in which society is tuned into technology and media and tuned out of what is physically surrounding them. It is opposite of the modern ideal of structure and place. It began in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s with the women’s liberation movement, “hippies,” and sexual liberation. What really stands out in the postmodern era is the network. It is the form of social organization that dominates society and only exists due mass communication technology. It creates a sense that there is not limit of geographical proximity, but no limit of space and time. The Internet gives the entire world access to rapid information with the touch of a button. The access to the Internet and, specifically social media platforms, continues to challenge social forms. The Internet inspired growth of information but also creativity and less structure. Counter modern era, is also created the feeling of distrust of institutions. The Internet allows society think in a scientific way. Having access to any article, book, scholarly paper, allows society to learn and become “experts” in different fields. An example would be YouTube. YouTube has a video tutorial for about everything ever existing on this planet. A perfect example is makeup artists. I am someone who loves makeup and watches tutorials very regularly. I’ve also experienced watching professional makeup artists in person do makeup and I critiqued them internally the entire time. I look back and realize that this person had gone through extensive training and is very experienced but I felt as if I knew more just from watching online tutorials. A more important example would be WebMD. Researching diseases and medical practices give people the sense that they may know more than a doctor. The Internet has given us knowledge, but also the sense of uneasiness due to access to research absolutely any topic.

Marshall McLuhan was inspired by the counter- cultural movement of the post-modern era. It is a time where the network dominates our social norms and structures our society. Mass communication and digital advancements have taken over the actual world and driving our society.