What Fills the Air?

Any independent, free-thinking, able-bodied person tends not to favor the belief that his or her life is dominated by a singular force.  One prefers to go the "Invictus" route instead by declaring that one is the "master of [one's] soul" and that no other stimuli harbors true mastery.  But, when authors such as Marshall McLuhan evaluate societal and cultural tendencies, a different conclusion is reached.  In short, "all media work us over completely."

This is quite the dogmatic statement indeed.  But is it unfounded?  McLuhan highlights how media creates a foundation for which mankind's template is formed.  For example, before writing, mankind lived in an "acoustic space" in which ideas were "boundless, directionless, horizonless, in the dark of the mind..." (48).  Since verbal communication was the only type in existence, it was the basis for any relaying of information that would occur.

But speech is still an important part of society today.  Humans communicate with one another through speech on a daily basis.  What changed?  

A new medium was introduced — writing.

Written language introduced power.  Bureaucracy.  Potential.  It was the "step from the dark into the light of the mind" (48).  By changing the medium through which thoughts and ideas were conveyed, a new set of standards, practices, concepts, lessons, and policies were enacted that surpassed, according to scholars, what aural communication could accomplish.

Thus, over time, writing became the pinnacle of intellectual expression.  If one knows how to write, one can advance and progress more rapidly than others, gain knowledge faster than others, and share his thoughts and ideas more efficiently than others.  It took over as the dominating expression of everything in life.  Books, journals, newspapers, letters, manuscripts, musical scores, telegrams, and sacred texts provided the knowledge of the world and shaped the views of society.  "Magic lines" dictated one's education, employment, and social interaction (48).  Writing worked over society completely.

Then, with the introduction of the Internet and electronic media, the clock reset.  And with the readjustment came friction.

When Electronic Media Became Divisive

The result was similar to how McLuhan describes sound, in that sound is a "seamless web" that envelopes its environment.  "Music [fills] the air," and it fills all parts of the air, not "segments" (112).u  It is not quarantined or segregated, but rather exists everywhere despite one's preference.  One cannot walk through a stereo-equipped room blasting "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream and prevent the sound from existing simply because it is loud.  The sound exists all together.  

So too, electronic media exists as a rapidly growing, maturing force through which communication is occurring.  It now "fills the air."  But because it is new, because the proponents of the "old" system are not fluent in its language, it is seen as inferior and detrimental.  However, this detail means nothing when discussing its presence in modern society.  

The values (or lack thereof) associated with electronic media can be debated ad infinitum.  But what cannot be debated is its presence:  social media, online education, online commerce, to name a few, are growing in their influence and span.  The approach to their growth will determine how they will ultimately impact the progress of society.