The Fate of Social Systems in the New Media Environment

Authors

  • Lance Strate

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30962/ec.719

Keywords:

McLuhan, media, media ecology, media environment, print media, electronic media, new media, nationalism, globalism

Abstract

Marshall McLuhan put forth a mediacentric view of the world, expressed in his famous maxim, the medium is the message. This view, and McLuhan’s work as a scholar, were deliberately suppressed for many years, until the internet became a popular phenomenon during the 1990s. McLuhan’s observations about electricity, electric technology, and electronic media, resulting in a change in media environment from the Gutenberg galaxy to the Marconi Milky Way are essential for understanding the new media that have appeared over the past two decades. Specifically examining the relationship between media and social organization, the rise of nationalism and the nation-state is traced back to the printing revolution in early modern Europe, while contemporary trends towards globalism on the one hand, and new forms of localism and tribalism on the other, are associated with electronic communications and the new media. Key Terms McLuhan, media, media ecology, media environment, print media, electronic media, new media, nationalism, globalism.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Published

21-03-2012

How to Cite

Strate, L. (2012). The Fate of Social Systems in the New Media Environment. E-Compós, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.30962/ec.719

Issue

Section

Special Issue