McLuhan Reconsidered

"Marshall McLuhan's lasting contribution is his vision of the ways in which history and culture and individuals are modified and, to some extent, determined by technology. His work will continue to be discussed and debated, dismissed and praised because of the ongoing need to consider not just the influence of technology upon society but also upon individuals and their habitual modes of perception. . . . McLuhan's famous remark that 'The medium is the message' is typical of his overstatements. I interpret the rhetorical intent of the slogan as an attempt to correct an imbalance. If there's a great weight on a fulcrum and you want to displace the dead weight toward the centre, you must apply considerable force from the extreme end. It was McLuhan's misfortune to have been successful enough to displace the rock onto the top of his head." -- Jim Andrews, from "McLuhan Reconsidered"