Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man: 55th Anniversary Edition

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man: 55th Anniversary Edition

[Canada] Marshall McLuhan

Yilin Press

2019-04-01

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Summary

From printing to the Internet, media, as an extension of human organs and consciousness, has long shaped and evolved with humans. How we acquire knowledge, work together, and connect with each other is deeply influenced by media. Today, McLuhan's theory...

Highlights

For the book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, I have selected the following 20 sentences or paragraphs for you. These contents reflect Marshall McLuhan's profound insights, unique perspectives, beautiful language, wisdom and creativity, and I believe they will attract readers of the book review website. 1. The medium is the message. ** —— This view is the core of McLuhan's theory, pointing out that the medium itself, rather than the content it conveys, has a profound impact on society and culture. 2. Any impact of any medium (that is, any extension of man) on individuals and society is due to a new scale; any extension of us (or any new technology) must introduce a new scale in our affairs. ** —— McLuhan emphasized the scale changes brought about by new technologies, which have a new standard of measurement for individuals and society. 3. Printing gave birth to the concept of childhood because printing created a new definition of adulthood, that is, adults are people who can read. ** —— Explains how printing affects our perception of childhood. 4. Electronic media makes the global village possible, so people can re-experience the close connection in the villages during the tribal period. ** —— Describes how electronic media shortens geographical distances and reshapes people's social experiences. 5. Media is an extension of our body, whether it is clothes, houses or the more familiar wheels and stirrups, they are all extensions of various parts of our body. ** —— It reflects McLuhan's broad understanding of media, which is regarded as an extension of the human body. 6. The distinction between hot and cold media is not based on the physical characteristics of the media, but on their psychological and social effects on the audience. ** —— It explains the criteria for distinguishing between hot and cold media, emphasizing their psychological and social effects. 7. Television is a cold medium because it provides little and vague information, requiring a high degree of audience participation and supplementation. ** —— Take television as an example to illustrate the characteristics of cold media. 8. Spoken language is a hot medium because it mobilizes multiple senses at the same time and transmits rich and complete information. ** —— Compare spoken language and television to illustrate the characteristics of hot media. 9. The form of the media prefers certain special content, which can ultimately control culture. ** —— It points out the shaping role of the media form on cultural content. 10. The transformation of the media has changed the way we perceive the world and our relationship with the world. ** —— It emphasizes the profound impact of media transformation on individual and social cognition. 11. Any extension of sense changes the type of our thoughts and behaviors, because this extension is also a new way of expression. ** —— Explains how the extension of senses affects our thinking and behavior. 12. Printing makes eyes our most important sense, while electronic media restores the importance of hearing and touch. ** —— Compares the impact of different media on the use of senses. 13. Media is not only a tool for transmitting information, but also a force for shaping our cognitive framework. ** —— Emphasizes the important role of media in cognitive construction. 14. The media of the future will be a more comprehensive extension, which will integrate all our senses and create a new experience. ** —— Look forward to the development trend of media in the future. 15. The change of media is always accompanied by social change, because media is the medium for us to interact with the world. ** —— Explains the close connection between media change and social change. 16. Any kind of media is nothing more than an extension or extension of human senses and sensory organs: text and printing media are extensions of human visual ability, radio is an extension of human hearing ability, and television is a comprehensive extension of visual, auditory and tactile abilities. ** —— Detailed description of how different media extend our sensory abilities. 17. The reason why the influence of a medium is so strong is precisely that another medium becomes its "content". ** —— Reveals how media influence each other and enhance each other's influence. 18. The emergence of new media is always accompanied by criticism and reflection on old media, because new media provides new cognitive frameworks and ways of expression. ** —— Analyzes the phenomenon of criticism and reflection on old media when new media emerges. 19. The change of media has not only changed the way we obtain information, but also the way we understand the world. ** —— Emphasizes the profound impact of media change on the cognitive and understanding levels. 20. In the electronic age, we wear a full set of holograms, extending our central nervous system in a completely new way and creating new sensory experiences in virtual reality. ** —— Describes the innovation of media technology in the electronic age on human sensory experience.

About the Author

Title: Marshall McLuhan: A Master of Communication and His Media Theory Marshall McLuhan, a famous Canadian communication scholar, educator, and philosopher, is known as the "Father of Media Theory".< He devoted his life to studying the impact of media on human society and culture, and proposed many epoch-making theories.

Basic Personal Information: Marshall McLuhan was born on July 21, 1911 in Alberta, Canada, and died on December 31, 1979 in Toronto, Canada.< His upbringing and family background had a profound impact on his academic interests.

Education and Career Background: McLuhan received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Manitoba in Canada, and then went to Cambridge University in the UK for further studies and obtained a master's degree.< His academic career began in the field of education, and he taught at many universities, including St.

Louis University, Fordham University, and the University of Toronto.

Writing Career: McLuhan's writing career began in the 1950s, and his works cover a variety of fields, including media theory, cultural criticism, and educational reform.

Among them, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man is his representative work.< The book was first published in 1964, and the 55th anniversary edition was published in 2019.

Style and theme of works: McLuhan's works have a unique style.< He is good at using metaphors and allegories to present complex theories to readers in an easy-to-understand way.

His research topics mainly focus on the impact of media on human perception, cognition and social structure, and he proposed famous concepts such as "media is the message" and "hot and cold media".

Personal life: McLuhan's personal life is relatively low-key.< He and his wife Corinna McLuhan have five children.

His family life and beliefs have had a certain impact on his academic research.

Social influence: McLuhan's theory has had a profound impact on the fields of communication, sociology, and cultural studies in the 20th century.< His views are widely used in modern media research and media analysis in the Internet era.

Citations and evaluations: Authoritative media and experts have mixed opinions on McLuhan.< The New York Times once evaluated him as "one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century.

" However, some critics believe that his theory is too abstract and difficult to verify.

Latest developments: Although McLuhan has passed away for many years, his theory still attracts widespread attention in academia and the public.< With the rise of digital media and the Internet, McLuhan's media theory still has important practical significance in today's society.

Marshall McLuhan's life was full of exploration of knowledge and deep insight into the media.< His works and theories still have a profound impact on modern society and provide us with a valuable perspective to understand the interaction between media and human society.