McLuhan Meets Twitter

The “message” of Twitter with television as a cool medium

16 December 2015Lindsey O’Laughlin

S.I. Newhouse School of Public CommunicationsSyracuse University

This presentation was prepared for COM 600 taught by Professor Grygiel

Marshall McLuhan

Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man

1967

The Medium is the Message

“The ‘message’ of any medium or technology is the change of scale or pace or pattern that it introduces to human affairs.”

McLuhan, Marshall (1967). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Figure 1. Chicago Marquee. (Warot,

2010) Used with Permission.

Figure 2. Study desk at night. (Hare, 2011) Used with permission.

Media: Hot and Cold (Cool)

“A hot medium is one that extends one single sense in ‘high definition.’ High definition is the state of being well filled with data… Hot media are, therefore, low in participation, and cool media are high in participation or completion by the audience.”

McLuhan, Marshall (1967). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

Marhsall McLuhan Speaks. (2012, Aug 28). Hot and Cool Media (1965) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3n65fa40JM]. Retrieved from http://youtube.com

Television + Twitter

“By disrupting the one-way relay of information, and making television party to a vast, uncontrolled conversation, Twitter is working a profound change in our relationship with the box.” (emphasis added)

Everett-Green, Robert. (2012, December 22). Social Network. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from www.theglobeandmail.com

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @ScandalABC [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/ScandalABC

#GOPDebate

2.4 million Tweets

522,220 were about Donald Trump

Jeb and Donald spat inspired 19,200 Tweets in one moment: 10:19 p.m. ET

Lafferty, J. (2015, December 16). #GOPDebate: When Donald Trump Speaks, Twitter Roars. Retrieved from http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/gopdebate-when-donald-trump-speaks-twitter-roars/631665

#GOPDebate

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @marcorubio [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/marcorubio

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @HillaryClinton [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton

#GOPDebate

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @PFTompkins [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/PFTompkins

#GOPDebate

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @pattonoswalt [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/pattonoswalt

TakeawaysMcLuhan’s understanding of television as an interactive, “cool”

medium has come to fruition with the advent of Twitter

The “message” of the Twitter + Television medium is the way it’s changed our interaction, involvement and use of both media.

Reference ListEverett-Green, Robert. (2012, December 22). Social Network. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved from

www.theglobeandmail.com

Hare, A. 2011. Retrieved from

https://www.flickr.com/photos/allisonhare/5392074546/in/photolist-9dtMUw-8vBW7x-6Vrq6y-4JoEtj-7kvBRX-8jGUUm-6AKadM-daQydD-fC86Ud-5SEsL5-4ZaAqH-5tofbX-iP5Ld-4cH3qJ-Q2tWq-6URkws-a3F5vz-2iaKR8-4rNa7N-5MjggP-njXHbt-4JjrJX-8Y38cY-jpaoo-zHA1C-tFEW-9hcqqv-74jgr-9RK15A-igFR4m-7Fwv3W-r1C-68wJvA-8bh1ww-bov2cY-kbyYt-rzyr-5G8WnZ-4CgDjh-5B1szo-6pbH7r-fM34Dh-7uksrZ-q86s8N-8SGvZm-33BBUM-GkBrJ-5Jt6sr-hwc5Yk-tPfU

Lafferty, J. (2015, December 16). #GOPDebate: When Donald Trump Speaks, Twitter Roars. Retrieved from

http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/gopdebate-when-donald-trump-speaks-twitter-roars/631665

Reference ListMcLuhan, Marshall (1967). Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @ScandalABC [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/ScandalABC

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @marcorubio [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/marcorubio

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @HillaryClinton [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/HillaryClinton

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @PFTompkins [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/PFTompkins

O’Laughlin, L (2015). @pattonoswalt [Twitter homepage]. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/pattonoswalt

Reference ListWarot, D. 2010. Retrieved from

https://www.flickr.com/photos/--mike--/6100824901/in/photolist-ai7jGe-oo8op9-Z5EZi-4QFjR8-4QFk8k-oJ1kxs-bA4XvG-oKK7CS-bkxdAh-oJ1o8g-bJVqe4-aYST4B-8mmUT9-66M1gr-66RhL3-5kzmQw-b3je6H-btPgM5-b4WT7c-bxMuTG-bABEaS-bpmSWL-bpmSS3-bq9TSd-7f7kKs-b7FRi2-bKSvLK-4axR45-4bt6KQ-7J9dN4-4Bm4je-8miF5X-8mmX7u-8mn1KG-8miV7B-8miGYF-2kZrmj-328Fys-2Ja51w-3e9twt-7fbw21-28VaUn-9fbBPh-6Apqy7-9ceQfa-7iM85h-5kv7eX-5DSL5a-aznE8H-2yuAwj