## The Medium is The Message Amusing Ourselves to Death Neil Postman, particularly in his influential book Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), explores the profound relationship between the media (content) and the medium (the form through which the content is conveyed). His central argument is that the medium significantly shapes how the media is perceived, understood, and experienced by audiences, thereby influencing [[Society]]’s [[Thinking]] and cultural priorities. Below is an overview of his views and those of contemporaries with similar interests in media studies: ### Postman’s Views on Media and Medium #### 1. The Medium Shapes the Message: Drawing on Marshall McLuhan’s famous phrase, “The medium is the message,” Postman argues that the nature of a medium determines the type of discourse it produces. For example: • Print media fosters rational, linear, and in-depth analysis. • Television, by contrast, favours entertainment and emotional appeals, even when covering serious topics such as [[Concepts/Knowledge Base/Politics|politics]] or [[Education]]. ##### Studies in differences between mediums Several studies and experiments provide evidence to support the idea that different media (e.g., print vs television) affect how people process and understand information. Here are examples of relevant research: ###### 1. Comprehension and Retention Studies • Study: Mangen, Walgermo, & Brønnick (2013) • Experiment: Researchers tested comprehension and retention among students who read texts either in print or on screens. • Findings: Students who read in print consistently scored higher in comprehension tests, particularly for longer and more complex texts, suggesting that the medium affects how deeply readers engage with content. • Relevance: Print media supports deeper processing, aligning with the idea that it fosters critical thinking and analysis compared to more transient media like television. ###### 2. Dual-Coding Theory (Paivio, 1986) • Theory: This theory posits that people process verbal and visual information differently. Television, which relies heavily on visuals, engages a different cognitive pathway compared to text-heavy print media. • Experiment: Studies on multimedia learning show that when visuals and text are presented simultaneously, viewers often focus on the visuals at the expense of deeper understanding of the verbal content. • Relevance: Television’s reliance on imagery can make viewers more focused on emotional and visual cues than on critical analysis. ###### 3. Cognitive Load and Attention Allocation • Study: Sweller’s Cognitive Load Theory (1988) and related research. • Experiment: Studies on cognitive load show that formats combining visuals, sounds, and rapid pacing (like TV) increase cognitive demands, leaving less mental energy for processing complex ideas. • Findings: Television’s multi-sensory stimulation makes it harder for viewers to engage in reflective or analytical thinking compared to reading print, which requires focused attention on text. • Relevance: Television media is less conducive to deep critical thinking compared to the slower, linear nature of print media. ###### 4. Content Delivery and Memory Recall • Study: A 2005 study by Furnham, Gunter, & Richardson. • Experiment: Participants were exposed to the same content delivered via print, audio, and television formats. Their recall and understanding were later tested. • Findings: Print readers retained and understood more complex content better than those exposed to television or audio. The visual nature of TV often led to distractions from the core message. • Relevance: The medium significantly affects how well information is absorbed and remembered. ###### 5. Emotional and Persuasive Effects of Media • Study: Grabe & Bucy (2009) in Image Bite Politics. • Experiment: They examined how emotional imagery in television news affects viewers’ perceptions and decision-making. • Findings: Television viewers are more likely to be influenced by emotional appeals and visuals, often at the expense of critical evaluation of facts. • Relevance: Television’s format can prioritise emotional impact over logical reasoning, whereas print media allows for a more reasoned engagement with content. Conclusion These studies demonstrate that print media encourages deeper comprehension and critical thinking due to its slower, text-based nature, while television, with its reliance on visuals and pacing, often prioritises emotional engagement over detailed analysis. #### 2. Cultural Consequences of the Medium: Postman critiques television as a medium that prioritises entertainment over substance, reducing serious public discourse to superficial spectacle. He claims that this shift profoundly alters societal values, such as prioritising appearance over ideas or entertainment over knowledge. #### 3. Medium and Epistemology: Postman suggests that different media foster different ways of knowing. In an oral [[Culture]], truth was established through rhetoric and memory. In a typographic culture, it was determined through evidence, logic, and structured argumentation. Television, however, shifts the [[Epistemology]] to what is visually appealing and emotionally engaging. #### 4. Education and Media: Postman argues that television undermines the seriousness of education by blending it with entertainment. He describes this phenomenon as edutainment, where complex issues are simplified to maintain viewer attention. ### Views of Postman’s Contemporaries #### 1. Marshall McLuhan: Postman was heavily influenced by McLuhan, who is best known for Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964). McLuhan argued that the medium itself, not just its content, affects society. His distinction between “hot” (demanding focus) and “cool” (encouraging interaction) media reflects how different technologies engage the senses and reshape communication. #### 2. Elizabeth Eisenstein: Eisenstein, in The Printing Press as an Agent of Change (1979), emphasises how the advent of print technology transformed intellectual life and society. She shows how the shift from oral to print [[Culture]] created new modes of organising knowledge and disseminating ideas, which laid the groundwork for the modern scientific and political [[Revolutions]]. #### 3. Walter Ong: In Orality and Literacy (1982), Ong explores the transition from oral to literate societies and the profound cognitive, social, and cultural effects of this shift. He highlights how the medium of literacy fosters abstract thinking and permanent records, whereas oral cultures rely on communal memory and immediate context. #### 4. Jean Baudrillard: Baudrillard, particularly in [[Simulacra and Simulation]] (1981), examines how mass media do not merely communicate reality but create hyperrealities—constructed versions of reality that often replace the real. While his focus is more philosophical, his critiques align with Postman’s in recognising the media’s power to distort truth. #### 5. Umberto Eco: Eco’s works, such as Travels in Hyperreality (1986), critique the rise of spectacle and simulations in media. Like Postman, Eco argues that contemporary media culture often prioritises sensationalism and spectacle over meaningful discourse. Conclusion Postman and his contemporaries collectively emphasise that the medium is not a neutral conduit for media but an active force shaping the nature of communication, cultural values, and societal priorities. Postman’s primary concern lies in how visual media (particularly television) erodes critical thinking, while others like McLuhan and Ong focus more broadly on how media shifts redefine human cognition and cultural dynamics. `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:` [[Media]], [[Art]] [[Digital index]]