The Message and the Medium

A town wants residents to know that a bridge will be closed for repairs on Saturday. The announcement could appear in a book of local notices, be read aloud on the radio, or be presented on television. The basic information could remain the same in each case. But would people experience it in the same way?

That question connects to the work of Marshall McLuhan, a Canadian professor who studied communication and media. Born on July 21, 1911, in Edmonton, Alberta, McLuhan became known for examining not only what messages say but also how the forms that carry them influence people and society. He taught literature and worked at the University of Toronto, where he explored technologies ranging from print to television.

McLuhan used the word medium for a means of communication, such as print, radio, or television. He argued that a medium can matter beyond the particular information it carries. In his view, its features can shape habits of attention and change how people connect with one another. His famous phrase “the medium is the message” expresses that idea, though he did not mean that the words or pictures in a message are unimportant.