Virtual Environments: Is one life enough?

The subtitle for this class is Society and Technolgy and we will explore the concept of tools: what they mean to us as human beings and how they might actually affect us and the society in which we live. The 20th Century Canadian professor and cultural critic Marshall McLuhan is remembered for his groundbreaking observations in The Medium is the Massage and for coining the term Global Village. His approach to understanding how the tools we repeatedly use end up shaping us and our society provides a framework with which to interrogate our use of social media and online collaborative tools. We will also consider the ideas of Bernard Stiegler, the French activist and philosopher, who argued that technology and society are intimately interconnected, and that it is through technology that we become human.

Preparation for this class

Please read the text and view the videos (approx 27 minutes).
This must be completed before class where we will be discussing the following questions:

1. What impact did McLuhan believe mass media was having on 20th Century Western society?
2. Why are his theories relevant to our online digital environment today?
3. How do you respond to McLuhan’s ideas and how might they influence your behaviour, if at all?

Essential Reading

• V. (2011, October 29). Painfully Coming to Grips with The Medium is the Message. [Blog post].
  This is an amusing and accessible introduction to the philosophy of Marshall McLuhan.
  (Reading time 7 minutes)
• Warburton, N. (2015, January 27). BBC with the Open University. Has Technology Changed Us? The Medium is the Message. [Video File].
  This short YouTube video narrated by Gillian Anderson provides a visual introduction to McLuhan’s ideas.
  (Viewing time 2 minutes)
• McLuhan, M. (1977, June 27). Marshall McLuhan Full Lecture: The Medium is the Message. ABC Radio National Australia. [Video file].
  McLuhan explains his theories and answers questions from members of the audience. Part 2 and Part 3 continue with questions and answers.
  (Viewing time 15 minutes each part)
• [BBC Newsnight]. (2016, January 11). David Bowie speaks to Jeremy Paxman (1999). [Video File].
  (View from 9.10 to 12.04, time 3 minutes)

Additional Reading

• Miroshnichenko, A. (2016). Extrapolating on McLuhan: How Media Environments of the Given, the Represented, and the Induced Shape and Reshape Our Sensorium opens in new window Philosophies 2016(1), 170–189. DOI:10.3390/philosophies1030170
  This journal article provides a deeper analysis of McLuhan ideas.

Conclusion

In conclusion, remember McLuhan’s exhortation to try and be aware that the tools we use repeatedly are having an impact on our understanding and perception of our world. This becomes increasingly important once we realise that our way of living is bringing about the demise of the planet’s ability to sustain our civilisation.