Media & Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Media & Communications - Essay Example The internet, satellites, optics and mobile technology are but ordinary elements of modern life (Willinsky, 1999). Communications and technology, taken separately, are both pervasive forces in society. They both influence each other but does either of them drive the other to the extent of defining its existence The theory of technological determinism states that technology is the major molding factor in how society progresses (Franklin, 1990). Technological determinism's central theme is that technology dictates how societies create themselves. It further suggests that the introduction of new technologies have a direct and permanent means of changing society (Craig, 2000). Marshall McLuhan is one of the proponents of the technological determinism theory. His work was inspired by Harold Innes and Lewis Mumford to study the effects of media on people and society. The first part of his theories tackles the uses of senses in the communication process. The second part of his theory involved the greater impact of the medium, which is greatly immersed with technological developments, versus the content of communication (Munday, 2002, para. 5, 6). The book "The Medium Is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects", states that, "Before the invention of the phonetic alphabet, man lived in a world where all the senses were balanced and simultaneous, a closed world of tribal depth and resonance." (McLuhan, and Fiore, 1967, p. 245). This suggests that because of developments in technology, specifically through print and the phonetic alphabet communication, that the immediate transmission of thought is compromised as well as the social interaction involved in speech communication (Munday, 2002, para. 7). The implication is that communication need not be a directly social process and can be achieved with a degree of isolation. Another implication that was suggested was that the visual superseded auditory awareness as the sense essential for communication. It was further suggested that developments such as that of the printing press and mass media will fuel these developments. He points out to an ominous scenario of diminishing sensory perceptions and increasing social isolation Implications of Technological Determinism to Communications One of the reasons why technological determinism and communications have been brought up together is primarily because it figured prominently in McLuhan's theorization. Since communication involves the exchange of information and ideas, the level of efficiency and effectivity of the communication progress is indicative of the degree of organization and management there is in the society. In the context of today's life, technology and communication are even more intertwined as shown by the development of electronic media and communications. Technological Determinism in Critique Raymond Williams, together with Eric Hobsbawm, and E. P. Thompson became the important intellectuals of the Western World from 1965 to 1985 (Cowling, 1990 para. 1-2). In the 70's and 80's, Williams spoke regarding feminism, Welsh nationalism, the environment and the imperialism in the Third World (para. 5). He gained prominence publishing his book in 1958 entitled "Culture and Society: 1780-1950". He was a popular and prolific writer in the 1960's and used literature and