11/15-11/21 #2 : Medium is the Message

I do agree with McLuhan’s statement that medium is the message. I think that the media format that one uses to send the message is what initially brings an audience to listen, see and receive the message. Although the message may be important, presentation and its aspects affects who will be the audience, how well the audience will pay attention and listen to the message, how they might react and respond to that message, and whether the context and intent of the message will be understood. For instance, as McLuhan infers, television is a cool medium based on the scale, diversity, and impact of this medium that presents the message. Television, as Trenholm stated, “in terms of media penetration… ‘is the most mass of all mass media’…[fulfilling] many functions for its viewers…” (2008, 316). Not only are there networks that specifically cater to a particular interest, such as fashion, cooking, and the news, but televisions hold such a wide range of audiences and as well as penetration into the everyday household, captivating many generations. It is because television has both visual and auditory means of presenting messages that may be more powerful than simply one means. Television also provides a wide array of how to send the message; for instance, political issues could be discussed explicitly as in news programs and reports, or it could be woven into a television show aimed at entertainment, such as the Simpsons. The message is important, as it is what is trying to be stated to the target audience, but its medium is what helps in making that audience aware of that message and its intent.