Rhajie T.

Marshall McLuhan

Rhajie T.
Regina Regional Heritage Fair
Regina, SK

Marshall McLuhan was a bright mind, his ideas penetrating traditional thinking during his years on this earth. He presented ideas unprecedented, ones never thought of before. He was truly ahead of his time. Media is a complicated topic, especially in today’s age. Though McLuhan was an adult in the dirty thirties, he proposed ideas that are still pondered to this day.

One of those being the idea of the “Global Village”, he gave to us an early prediction of today. He would state, one day their would be a world where communication was instantaneous, a world where distance was no longer a limiting factor. He said, verbatim, “The global village is as big as a planet and as small as the village post office.” If that sounds familiar, that’s because it most definitely is, and it is in practice today! Social Media and the World Wide Web is almost a carbon copy of his idea of the global village. 

This one idea goes to show how “future-thinking” McLuhan was. As I thought about what it meant to truly understand media, I kept returning to Marshall McLuhan’s words, “I don’t necessarily agree with everything I say.” That’s when it hit me, you never fully understand “something”, but to get even close to fully knowing “something”, you have to always doubt everything you think and say.

What sources and evidence did you consult for your project? What different perspectives did they provide on your topic?

Some sources I consulted for my project were books, articles, and a documentary starring Marshall McLuhan himself. These perspectives provided unique views on ideas coined by McLuhan. The one that gave me the most insight was definitely the documentary, hearing ideas being explained by McLuhan definitely aided in building this project.

What is the historical significance of your topic?

Marshall McLuhan’s ideas created a row in his time, many questioned his mind and the ideas he proposed. Many even went as far to say that he would be forgotten in under a decade. Though he was controversial in his time, he clearly was not forgotten. He was a visionary prophet for the digital age. His ideas helped many understand and study digital media during its beginnings. 

In the 1950’s, McLuhan started Communication and Culture seminars, which started laying the groundwork for the establishment of the Centre for Culture and Technology (CCT) at the University of Toronto.

His work led to Canadians holding a unique voice in discussions about technology and media today. He gives us, as a society, a unique view point of media we would’ve never had without him. 

Why did you choose this topic? 

I chose this topic because of how digitality has taken over our world today and how important it is to understand media. Marshall McLuhan’s work was a wonderful start for me, and I am glad I chose him as my topic.