Everything, Everywhere, All at Once

Apr 18, 2025

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INSIGHT

Medium Reshapes Us Deeply

The medium itself reshapes us personally and socially beyond just its content or use. - The phrase "the medium is the message" holds deep layers explaining technological impact.

ADVICE

Teach One Thing at a Time

Teach one concept at a time to avoid overwhelming learners. - Simplify complex ideas for better understanding and retention.

INSIGHT

Structure Shapes Us More

We are shaped more by the structure of technologies than their content or intended use. - Cultural change is often unconscious and rapid, difficult to notice until deeply experienced.

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Andrew McLuhan—author, speaker, and steward of The McLuhan Institute—shares rich, mind-bending perspectives on the current state of culture, media, connection, and commerce. Drawing from a generations-deep intellectual legacy forged by media theorist and philosopher Marshall McLuhan, Andrew explores what it means to live in a world electrified by complete digital immersion.

A New Medium Is A New Culture

Key takeaways:

“I quickly discovered that it’s easy to overwhelm people with too much information. It’s almost the worst thing you can do, because you lose them, and it can be hard to get them back.” – Andrew McLuhan
“It’s much easier to teach people one thing at a time than it is to teach them ten things at once.” – Andrew McLuhan
“‘A poem can’t mean something that it doesn’t mean to you.’ Which is kind of deep, but it’s not the cop out that you think it is.” – Andrew McLuhan, quoting T.S. Eliot
“Marshall McLuhan saw that through human history we’ve been influenced and steered by the structure and nature of our innovations more than by what we’ve done with them. A new medium is a new culture.” – Andrew McLuhan
“We don’t like finding out how we’re being used.” – Andrew McLuhan
“Commerce is a form of media. It is manipulating people in some way and people are being shaped by it.” – Phillip

In-Show Mentions:

How People Are Really Using Gen AI in 2025 – Harvard Business Review
Other Harvard Business Review pieces:
- Personalization Done Right
- The Consumer Psychology of Adopting AI
Eric McLuhan’s Taking Up McLuhan’s Cause – re-released
The McLuhan Institute

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