McLuhan Related Picture

Unfortunately, these kids are unaware that they are setting themselves up for a world full of expectations set by fictitious societies portrayed in whatever Netflix show they all are respectively watching on their laptops that are nearly as big as they are (especially the little one in the middle). They should go play stickball or do gymnastics.

Doc Oc Technology Extension of Oneself

This is a picture of Doctor Octopus, the villain from the movie Spiderman 2. I think this character is a pretty literally meaning of the phrase, "technology is an extension of one's self." When Marshall McLuhan says this, he means that we need technology by our side 24/7. That we wouldn't be able to live without it close to us. Also, more importantly, that it helps us learn what's going on in the world and helps us with communication. 

Doctor Octopus's four robotic arms are literally an extension of himself. In the movie/ the comic books he is featured in, he uses them for walking, for carrying things, for building things, for fighting, etc... 

Avril Lavigne Meme

I chose this meme (which features Avril Lavigne, and specifically quotes and references her song "Complicated") because it is my honest reaction to McLuhan's responses in his interview. Why does he have to criticize so many parts of society? He analyzes a lot of different things in the world that he lives in all too much and it just gets plain annoying reading. I believe that it is silly to worry about the things we cannot control in our lives, and that it is exactly what this guy is doing. Why worry about these things when life is so short? It honestly, going back to Avil Lavigne's "Complicated," "gets me frustrated."

Google Glass and McLuhan

This image is a woman wearing the new Google Glass. We discussed these in class and it is a big debate in the tech world, as well as the rest of the world, whether they are a good idea. In McLuhan's interview he mentions technology being an extension of man. I think the Google Glass is taking that concept to the next level, literally having technology on your face and in your vision at all times. Whether or not it is good or bad, technology is becoming an even bigger part of our lives. The seems like a scary concept but it will be interesting to see how the Google Glass works out once it becomes more available to the public.

Technology the Humans 8th Sense

In today's day in age McLuhan's ideas are still very relevant. Technology still controls the human race even more so then it was in the past. Now one electronic can do what 8 different pieces of technology can do in on.  Technology has become just another part of the person and when a person can not have there technology then they start to have anxiety that they are missing something important that is happening in their friends lives.

Another Meme that I found to be really accurate, in the past receiving paper mail was the norm and when someone would get an email on the Internet, it was so exciting because it was new and exciting. But in today's society companies are taking advantage of email because it is one of the most direct methods to send mail. However because of this technology writing letters has become an art and not many people know how to write and send a letter to communicate with one another. Today everything is becoming so instantaneous because of the Internet as well as texting.

Fish In Water

McLuhan was right when he implied that we as a society live in a media and electronic based world without being aware of the negative effects that could come from it. Like a fish that is unaware that they swim in water, we go about our every day lives engulfed in our modern electronic ways and don't often think about how we are being taken advantage of. Small gadgets have become so important to us because of efficiency, but people do not often consider how companies like Apple try to take advantage by using planned obsolescence. Not only this, but because we are so attached to these gadgets that help us to accomplish every day tasks, we ourselves are becoming more and more dependent on technology. Sooner or later, this is going to catch up to us and the human race could be in peril.

McLuhan vs. Technology

This image shows the evolution of man and the different methods of survival man has developed over time; from hunting, to farming, to physical labor, to technological achievements. However, this image also illustrates how man appears to be going backwards evolutionary-wise. The first half of this image shows the progressive improvement of each individual man’s posture, appearance and technology over time. Although man’s technology and appearance continues to advance in the second half of this image, his posture almost reverses, returning to the state it was before his evolutionary process even began. 

If this image were shown to Marshall McLuhan, I believe he would argue the reverse in evolution is a direct result of technological advancement. One of McLuhan’s main points in his interview with Playboy was that the development of technology lifted society out of our natural, cultural roots and almost brainwashed us to the point where we are unaware of events occurring in our surrounding environment. I think McLuhan would agree with this image because it is showing that the latest technology has brought humanity back to an animal-like state of intelligence and focus.