In “The Medium Is the Message”, Marshall McLuhan highlights the importance of the medium over the content that is created using the medium. McLuhan gives many examples of mediums that are undervalued and often times overlooked when we are given exposure to the final product. Electric light used for brain surgery and night baseball is a medium that McLuhan says “shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action.” He continues to claim that the medium does not gain recognition until branded by a big name company. Learning more about this topic has changed my perspective on how we view content and has allowed me to gain some insight on the use of mediums and their importance. I have never thought about content in this manner so it is interesting to learn about it through McLuhan’s thoughts.
Another line that interests me is General David Sarnoff’s statement on the innate values of technology, “We are too prone to make technological instruments the scapegoats for the sins of those who wield them. The products of modern science are not in themselves good or bad; it is the way they are used that determines their value.” Sarnoff made me question how we view technology in our lives today, often categorized with negativity and described as an “obsession.” However, when people discuss technology, oftentimes the first thought we have is what is closely related to us and used by the average person, their mobile phone and laptop. Sometimes people focus on the negatives and so the advances of technology are overlooked when evaluating technology in our lives.