Technological Determinism

Marshall McLuhan’s perspective of technological determinism has brought a variety of points about understanding our technological environment and its impacts on our society.

Good points of Marshall McLuhan’s Technological Determinism-

1. Media to some degree is immersive or untouchable. Augmented reality and video games are examples of immersive media because the audience/user can interact with it.
2. Our technology allows us to expand the way we experience time and space. I can call my friend who lives in Italy- we will be experiencing different calendar days and we can talk while being in different environments.
3. Electricity has brought new societal practices and replaced ones that are now inefficient.

Limitations of Marshall McLuhan’s Technological Determinism-

1. When a medium is at its peak, we can’t understand it as much until it is no longer the most popular medium being used. If this is true, our ability to improve how we use media is a bit stunted.
2. Technology creates an environment of detachment.

Useful part of Marshall McLuhan’s ideas:

I do think our technological environment has shaped parts of our society already. Social media is how we connect with others and get our news. Information spreads incredibly fast on the internet and now we can interact with it through social media. We are constantly learning about how to treat others, things our society needs to change, and speaking about important topics that usually get pushed under the rug. Without social media, we might not have begun the more progressive conversations until much later if ever.