What is the medium?

Online presence - BCM 112

the medium is the message.

"In a culture like ours, long accustomed to splitting and dividing all things as a means of control, it is sometimes a bit of a shock to be reminded that, in operational and practical fact, the medium is the message." - Marshall McCluhan Humanity has been attracted by the methods it uses to convey and preserve information since the dawn of time. How we speak with one another shapes who we are and contributes significantly to what distinguishes a culture and an individual. Media is actually defined as a "medium".

So what is a medium? There are 3 definitions for a medium in media. 1. a channel or system of communication, information, or entertainment — compare mass medium.

2. a publication or broadcast that carries advertising.

3. a mode of artistic expression or communication as his literary medium he has chosen a biographical form.

"The medium is the message" literally means the same thing swapped around. The form of the medium embeds itself in the message, establishing a productive relationship in which the medium influences how the message is received. The aphorism has become a popular phrase in both the study of digital humanities and pop culture.

"The medium is the message,"as well as other McLuhan ideas, have elicited a wide range of critical responses, both favourable and negative.

Extending Ourselves

Humans without media are only limited to a certain reach. Media is what we use to extend our communication with others and it allows us to find more opportunities outside of our local areas.

It also allows us to push ourselves. Push ourselves past what we thought was our final reach.

Source of passion

This medium is a crucial factor towards success. Small businesses are finding more ways to gain a higher consumer interest and are able to 'extend themselves' through the access to aesthetics. Aesthetics is also a crucial factor when it comes to having a business. Without an aesthetic it is highly doubtful the business will have a high success rate as this is what captures the consumers interest.

Technology Convergence

With this medium becoming such an extent of endless possibilities. It has allowed technology to expand across the globe. From when we once had a pen and paper which took weeks or even months to get to the receiver, to now, when a person on the other side of the world will get a message within 2 seconds. The convergence of technology has ultimately become the biggest revolution of time.

DA IDEA

A Digital Artefact project I thought of was to find out what students think of the food quality at UOW. Where I would go around to students and interview them on their thoughts. This would be a great way to either do more research on how to make the food better, or, to promote the fact that students believe the food is of good quality.

The audience for this project would be current and future uni students at UOW! It will allow new students to know how accessible and financially available the food is.

The project could then become a blog or information page on UOWs website. It would be prototyped by creating a blog type page with using all the UOW colours,

I would then pitch it to the UOW team and get their opinion on the page before uploading it to the website.