Marshall McLuhan 1

Marshall McLuhan
Glennfrey Faustino CHC2D1-04 Ms. Thimeo December 20 2011

Marshall McLuhan 2

Who was Marshall Herbert McLuhan? Marshall Herbert McLuhan was born in Edmonton, Alberta, on July 21, 1911. McLuhan was still a twenty-year old undergraduate when he wrote in his diary he would never become an academic. For a while he took engineering. Though, he later pursued a career of becoming an English professor at the University of Toronto. McLuhan became a media analysis and busted into the world prominence as a media guru in the 1960s. His studies of the effect of mass media on thought and behavior, along with his theories caught the attention of people world-wide. He became wildly popular through his philosophy. This Canadian changed the way we look at communication and media. Bravery and strength is what makes an icon. That common phrase may contain some facts but bravery and strength are not the only traits that make an icon. Intelligence and charisma are attributes are also attributes of influential icons. Today, we look up to countless heroes that go down in history. The Famous Five, Emily Carr, Pierre Trudeau, Frederick Banting and the list goes on. These people defined Canadian history. Their outstanding contributions towards society have benefitted us for decades. Though, there is another icon that has touched the minds of many people, Marshall McLuhan. This is the purpose of this paper to identify what McLuhan meant on how technology has a profound effect upon us; how he changed the way we perceive media and the meaning of being a Global Village. Firstly, technology does have profound effects upon us. Today, society is slowly advancing into an era where our lives are surrounded by technology. Since iPods, iPhones and computers are now almost accessible world-wide, we can access to anything by the palm of our hands. In

Marshall McLuhan 3 McLuhans second major study, he explained how technology has evolved during the past centuries. Technologies such as telephones, radios, and television were shrinking distances, accelerating communication and giving us a world far different from that which previous generations had experienced. Centuries ago, Egyptians or Greeks did not have tools that we now possess. We are able to send mail in minutes, or find information in seconds. As our technology advances one of the profound effects is motivation. When our gadgets are constantly getting better we are motivated to create something much more Out of this world. Society is striving for perfection. According to Marshall McLuhan, we become what we behold. We shape our tools and then our tools shape us. This implies towards our technologies and communication. When the cell phone had been revolutionized, texting was the next big thing. It has become part of our daily lives. When our tools shape us it means we turn into our tools. When we text we are sending information, and interacting with others. The cell-phone or Facebook has changed the way we communicate. These technologies have brought community closer together. It enables us to interact to each other from any parts of the world we live in. Marshall McLuhan also talked about how technology is just an extension towards our natural faculties. For example, knife is just an extension to the hand and wheels are an extension to the legs. Other than technology affecting us, Marshall McLuhans most notable work the Global Village. Secondly, the world is a Global Village. Marshall McLuhan believed that