In “Writing for the Web: Composing, Coding, and Constructing Web Sites” by J.D. Applen he references Marshall McLuhan’s ideas on media and communication. He specifically focuses on McLuhan’s assertion that “the medium is the message” and Nicholas Carr’s assertion that new mediums in media are altering the way we think.
The Medium is the Message
McLuhan’s assertion that “the medium is the message” suggests that that the medium through which content is delivered is important. He also suggests that the medium is more important than the content itself. McLuhan believes that each new medium creates social changes, affecting us and how we interact with information. Applen helps clarify this when he uses an example on cellphones. He writes, “We can apply this concept to cell phones. One of the joys of cell phones is that people can always make contact with us, but this is in some ways also a drawback, because we can never get away from people; if we give someone our cell phone number, there is an implicit ‘message’ that we are always available and this can cut into our privacy” (Applen 22).
What Applen is trying to say here is that the device is a part of the message. How we use this device affects how we experience and understand communication, it isn’t just about the text. Being constantly available and connected can be exhausting because this medium alters our communication behaviors and expectations.
Take, for example a situation I experienced recently when my sister texted me asking me to grab her package that was delivered to our house. When I didn’t reply immediately, I was met with angry text messages like “I know you’re on your phone” This is a good illustration of how our expectations have changed. Because of cell phones, there is a pressure to always be available and quick at responding. Sometimes people just want and need five minutes of peace! This constant connectivity means that we feel obligated to reply instantly as if it were some sort of duty. This medium has changed the pace of communication and changed the way we communicate with one another.
Nicholas Carr’s Criticism of Media
An interesting part of the reading was when Applen references Carr. Carr believes that the internet has influenced our brains ability to sustain focus over long periods of time. He also believes that the internet encourages rapid consumption of information. Applen clarifies this thought when he writes, “Technology allows us easy access to information, but this technology has also changed our relationship to it, as now we do not read as deeply as we used to; instead, we skip for URL to URL” (Applen 23).
This goes back to our conversation we had about how with digital stuff, we search, click links, scroll, and read bits and pieces of articles. We rarely fully immerse ourselves in one piece of content. Is this because we know that we can always come back to this information again if we need it? Maybe, but the point is that media, especially the internet has shiftd us from deep focused reading to fast engagement is reducing our ability to focus and it is encouraging shallow thinking which is really the opposite of its intended purpose I feel.
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