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To: LilFarmer

Video conference—as McLuhan used to say, “The media is the message.”


1,588 posted on 03/09/2020 5:39:01 PM PDT by cgbg (The Democratic Party is morphing into the Donner Party)
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To: cgbg
I am going to explain "The media is the message" because it is clear the WH does not know or understand the concept.

Marshall McLuhan proposed a very radical idea back in the 1960s--and I think he got it right.

He argued that our entire thought process at the subliminal level is driven by the type of media that is used, and that when media types change that drives revolutionary changes in thought.

--Ancient societies through the middle ages--scribes created individual pieces of art that communicated messages. Only the wealthy could afford to hire the scribes (message: rule by kings or feudal lords or emperors; message: communication is only allowed for the elite and not the masses)

-Then when the printing press was invented the rebellion against kings begin, the rebellion against the Catholic Church began, and eventually the industrial revolution began. Each letter became interchangeable, just like people became interchangeable on the factory floor. In addition, just like individual letters could be a part of communication, people could join in groups to gain liberties.

--Then we go to television. Moving pictures are the message. A society of speed, mobility, rapid change.

--Then (McLuhan didn't get to see it) the Internet. The world communicating with the world in an instant. Change happens much faster. Everything seems out of control. Trust in governments collapse. Everyone can speak, and everyone is part of new and constantly changing groups. This would tie with all of the Woke stuff, every little group claiming their special rights and trying to shout down everybody else.

This stuff works at a subliminal level. None of it is stated, none of it is consciously processed--so that is McLuhan.

So, if you want to successfully communicate with people and gain their confidence, the medium must match your message or you will get anger, fear, resistance, panic that everything is out of control.

Are we going to start quarantines? If yes, then the communication better be from quarantine-line quarters.

The current approach gives the impression that the leaders don't know what they want. We are to social distance but they are not doing so.

Do they want a bottom up response (like one of the speakers said)? Then why are they using a top down medium like the press conference?

Then they they make a statement like visitors to nursing homes should use masks after they have told us that masks don't work and we shouldn't use them.

What is that message? The elderly in nursing homes are more important than everybody else, so we lied to you?
1,606 posted on 03/09/2020 6:01:17 PM PDT by cgbg (The Democratic Party is morphing into the Donner Party)
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