"By shaping how societies obtain information, the medium (television, telegrams, telephones, etc.) shaped people as much, if not more, than the message did.”
These are the words of Marshall McLuhan, a media/communications theorist who believes the medium in which we access information is more important than the message itself. If you think about it, technology has greatly shaped the way we communicate today. No longer do we lose touch with one another after high school but rather add each other on Facebook for us to digitally stalk from a far. We are able to be informed on people’s lives without ever connecting personally. This all would not be available if not for the creation of social media.
Another more primitive look at this evolution would be the introduction of the telephone. When looking at it face value, the calls we make on a daily basis are not particularly important. What is more significant is the idea that we are able to connect with anyone around the world with the push of a few buttons. Our voices are able to travel across land and sea in order to communicate with people life typically would not allow. This has further evolved with the introduction of video conferences. This allows people to conduct business from anywhere in the world, further diversifying the world we live in.
The way we communicate with each other is significant because the idea of a “stranger” is no longer relevant. With everyone having a digital footprint we are all able to access each other at any time. Technology has changed the way we look at life, how we operate in life, and how we communicate with one other.
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