Marshall McLuhan

 

I find Marshall McLuhan's idea of valuing medium over content interesting.

I suppose I am conditioned to respond differently to a message depending on the context. It's a very different experience having an in-person conversation vs reading a text message, or watching an advertisement vs a YouTube video.

However, I think part of that is different mediums inherently have differing content/stimuli. Over half of communication is non-verbal, so stripping that away from any medium obviously restricts how effectively it can carry a message. Most of what is verbal is communicated through things such as tone or inflection, which also get stripped away depending on the medium.

Semantics aside, there are many other differences in various forms of media that change how I engage with them. In social media settings, I can easily observe and respond to creators in a way I can't towards more commercial media settings. In a text-based medium, I can stop and think through my words more carefully in a way that better allows me to describe specific thoughts. With a recorded medium, I can control the flow of information I receive, and often choose when/where I receive it (as well as which parts to focus upon).
 

At the least, I certainly think he has a point that formatting greatly affects how a message comes across.