Understanding Marshall McLuhan's 'The Medium is the Message'

The essence of McLuhan's idea lies in understanding that the medium itself significantly influences how we perceive and interact with content. Rather than solely judging the quality of individual content—such as tweets or articles—one must recognize that mediums encode specific communication rules and structures that shape our behaviors and societal dynamics. For example, social media platforms promote a culture of brevity and immediacy, fundamentally altering our thought processes and attention spans. As a result, the real impact of these mediums goes beyond the surface content; it lies in their inherent capabilities that mold our interactions and societal norms, emphasizing that our experiences are largely determined by how we engage with and adapt to these mediums.