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Media Ecology

Marshall McLuhan

Chapter 24
Mass Communication—Media and Culture

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Theory Overview

Abstracts appear in Appendix A of the 7th Edition

The media must be understood ecologically. Changes in communication technology alter the symbolic environment—the socially constructed, sensory world of meanings. We shaped our tools—the phonetic alphabet, printing press, and telegraph—and they in turn have shaped our perceptions, experiences, attitudes, and behavior. Thus the medium is the message. (Socio-cultural tradition)

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