SUM09Q2Response

If the content is obliterated by the channel, "what" we say is of little importance-only "how" we chose to deliver it. McLuhan's belief in technological determinism is obvious by his phrase, "we shape our tools and they in turn shape us" **//Marshall McLuhan: what did his statement mean? //** McLuhan is telling people that the new electronic media is changing the way people think, act, and feel. McLuhan suspects that the current technological environment, when looked back upon, will be seen as a major turning point in the history of communication. Nothing exists that is not affected by the applied technology of communication. McLuhan regarded every form of media as an extension of the human being. For example, a book is an extension of the eye and clothing is an extension of the skin. McLuhan was convinced that the lifestyles people live rely heavily on the way they process information. Each communication invention throughout history changed the people thought about themselves and the world around them. Whether it be oral, written, or electronic, the communication channel changes the way we perceive the world. The technological determinist view is a technology-led theory of social change: technology is seen as 'the prime mover' in history. According to technological determinists, particular technical developments, communications technologies or media, or, most broadly, technology in general are the sole or prime antecedent causes of changes in society, and technology is seen as the fundamental condition underlying the pattern of social organization. **//Do you agree? Give 2 examples of a "tool" used in the library and information professions that support your agreement or disagreement //**
 * Marshall McLuhan **