Understanding Media
The phrase, “The medium is the message”, was invented by Marshall McLuhan, implying that the media form is closely interconnected with the message it coveys. There is a symbiotic association whereby, the means of perceiving a given message is influenced by the medium. Marshall McLuhan’s concern regarded an observation that people tend to put great focus on the obvious and consequently overlook the structural alterations in human affairs that emerge over long time periods (McLuhan, 1964, pg 7). The same case applies to you tube as a media platform, where people tend to ignore the extent to which it has transformed human experience over an extensive period of time.
In regard to McLuhan’s phrase, “message” can be defined as the transformation of pace, scale or pattern of human affairs, brought about by a new innovation or invention (McLuhan, 1964, pg 8). On the other hand, “medium” refers to any extension of the human self. You tube as a media platform acts as a language medium that extends a person’s thoughts from within their mind, out to the minds of other people. You tube may be termed as an online media outlet that enables peer-to-peer interactions. It was founded in the year 2005, and in the year 2007, it was bought by the Google Company. In the year 2010, an announcement was made that more than two billion videos had been viewed via this site since its founding.
Hence, this site is among the most popular online video community that allows millions of people to discover, watch and share originally-developed videos. As this media platform progresses, people are turning onto it for information regarding various causes and issues that affect them in one or more ways. Such issues may range from making online donations and signing petitions, to seeking out job or volunteer opportunities. In the political arena, it is not strange to find political leadership aspirants campaigning through social media platform such as you tube.
According to McLuhan, the presence of a new message, indicating the effects of a new medium is marked by noticing change in cultural and societal ground conditions (McLuhan, 1964, pg 9). You tube as greatly changed cultural values and the thoughts of the general society. The media platform tends to shape societal values as well as human behavior. For instance, young people who tend to watch violence and sex-related videos in you tube are affected negatively. Such individuals tend to engage in delinquency and even premarital sex in an attempt to ape what is viewed in the social media platform. It is also worth noting that you tube as a social media platform has contributed to societal stratification. A rich and famous class of people has emerged as a result of you tube. A good example is that of celebrities, whose fashion trends and lifestyle are often broadcasted via the social media platform.
A culture of consumerism and individualism has developed as a result of social medial platform such as you tube. Individuals tend to spend extravagantly on things that they do not really need for survival. Media platform dictates societal expectations and human needs, whereby people tend to consume what is portrayed in the medium. A good example is that of fashion trends that are greatly influenced by celebrities and the upper class of individuals portrayed in you tube.
According to McLuhan, it is possible to identify and characterize the novel media as well as it effects that it might bring along. If it is found out that a new medium imparts negative effects to the culture and society, there is an opportunity of influencing the creation of a new innovation before the effects become detrimental (McLuhan, 1964, pg 199). This implies that the society has the ability to control the content displayed in a social media platform such as you tube. Perhaps authorizing the display of solely informative or educative content would curb the negative influence to the society and cultural value decay.
You tube also has a positive effect on human experience. For instance, it enables users to upload videos created as well as post their comments regarding other user’s videos. Media organizations like movie production houses, television channels, theatre companies and musicians mostly utilize you tube as a means of distributing and promoting upcoming concerts, programs or events. Hence, organizations that have significant video content have achieved remarkable success through the use of you tube in distributing their content.
Some of the ancestors of you tube include Facebook, which was founded in 2004, and enables users to interact or keen in touch with their friends, classmates, acquaintances and coworkers. Twitter is another ancestor of you tube, which was founded in the year 2006, and has about one hundred and ninety million users. All these social media platforms have both positive and negative effects to the general society. Message control is a concept that would enable maximization of the positive influences of social media platform. For instance message control and getting ahead of any damaging media campaigns can be achieved by framing an issue around broad values.
Reference
McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding Media; The Extensions of Man. New York: McGraw Hill
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