The Medium is The Massage

Theres no doubt about it that the media within our society has some control over our brains, but to a certain extent. Being ignorant and naive is one thing, but standing back while they consume our thoughts is a path we are trying to avoid. The Medium is The Massage written by Marshall McLuchan is a collage styled picture book that has no intentions of leaving us "untouched, unaffected, and unaltered". 

 "All media work us over completely" 

There is no escaping the media. In all forms, shapes, and sizes its coming down the tube and into our brains whether we like it or not. While reading through I immediately connected to the MTV show "The Jersey Shore". Everybody loved it while at the same time despised it for its unimaginable level of absurdity. However, we watched it. It was disturbing and has left us asking why? How was it possible that media was able to pull and stunt like that and project these people onto the big screen?

Media has more control then you think. McLuchan's book gives us the answers to these questions and exposes the unseen.

Knowing The Medium is The Massage was first published in 1967 and still rings truth within our society now then when it was written, is saying something. This process of being "worked over" is not knew and has been going on for a very long time. Some people are just too blind to recognize it. However, for the people living above a rock… this won't be too hard of a task.

The Damage Is Done

The damage has been done people! There is no use in complaining about the evolution of technology when its constantly changing. Everyone has their own opinion, but whats wrong with seeing new development? This groundbreaking technology we see today is not "bad" as many would put it, but allow us to see a new light of what is to come of how we interact within society. To many this aspect of change comes to a surprise and in some way or another has instilled fear in the select few who aren't on board with the program yet.

In Mike Masnick's article "Did Pencils Make Us Dumber", the presence of fear being instilled upon us is explored. It seems as though the ones who can't keep up with the times are the ones who have experienced this opression.

 "Often, it just seems to be a fear that there will be more competition and more innovation, and the old-timers are afraid they're not equipped or able to keep up."

The "old timers" as Mike puts it describes the people who just don't get it. They can't grasp their heads around the fact that at one point in their time so called "new technology" has been now long outdated or  the technology is updated to foreign concepts. However, this does not make them "bad". Either you bet of fold, the choice is yours whether you want to explore innovative ways of modern day communication or live life in the past.

"back when we had stone tablets, one mistake could destroy a month of chipping. Someone then figured out how to make crude paint and a month of work then took a few days. You bet ya the stone tablet maker was pissed off at that one too."- Anonymous Coward