Write an essay where you use McLuhan’s idea that the “medium is the message” to do your own analysis of a technology. To do this, you will need to construct a thesis that makes a clear point about the unobvious personal and social consequences of the technology you choose (the “message” of this “medium”).
You may consider the following questions as you develop your analysis: What have you thought about differently since you read McLuhan? How does this medium shape our behavior? How did this medium change the world compared to what came before it? How would McLuhan respond to it? What do you think about this medium, compared to McLuhan? As always, these are just questions to ask that might get you started in approaching this assignment, not an exhaustive list of questions you need to answer in your essay.
Helpful Hints:
The most difficult part of an analysis essay is going beyond just summarizing what you see in the sources you’re using. In order for your essay to be successful, you will need to look past what your medium is outright doing, and discover and analyze something deeper.
That said, it will also be critical to summarize and explain the ideas of McLuhan to your reader, so that they can follow your analysis of those ideas. That means your essay should include both summary and analysis.