Media Ecology Essay

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“We put the word “media” in front of the word ecology to suggest that we were not simply interested in media, but in the ways in which the interaction between media and human beings gives a culture its character” (Postman, 2000). Media ecology can be defined as the study of different personal and social environments created by the use of different communication technologies (Griffin). While we as a society tend to have trouble understanding the way the media works as an environment because we are so immersed in them, we do have those who have gone above and beyond to understand the media and the channels of communication. No man is more recognized for this than Marshall McLuhan who famously stated, “the medium is the message”, which came as a surprise to many as we usually think of the message as separate from the “medium” itself. That “medium” can be described as any specific type of media such as a website, television, radio, or newspaper. McLuhan saw the message and the medium as one in the same. He found that one typically overlooks the medium; instead, focusing on the information received. He set out to implement this theory for society to understand and evaluate.
The media ecology theory centers on the principle that technology not only greatly influences society, but also controls virtually all walks of life. It plays a leading role in all human affairs and connects all of society. It is safe to say the theory holds that media is infused in every act and action in society, media fixes our perceptions and organize our experiences, as well as the previously mentioned that media ties our world together. This can best be described by another one of McLuhan’s famous metaphors “the global village” in which he expressed many of ...

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...s but it really is only valid if it lasts the test of time. Marshall McLuhan’s theory has done just that. According to McLuhan there is in fact no difference between the medium and the message. Technology or the medium sends a message and it controls our environment and all walks of life. It is clear that the media effects our perception and understanding what we have yet to realize that is not what the message says it is what is sending that message. If you were to take the time and think about it for a short time you will realize there are many important things that you can attribute to what has shaped a specific age or time in history. The phonetic alphabet, the printing press, the telegraph and the internet or computer are 4 extremely important inventions or mediums in history and each has helped to connect one another as well as shape a culture or environment.

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