Medium Theory Approach to Media Studies and its Impact on Society and Politics

This article explores the impact of medium theory approach to media studies on society and politics. It explains how the medium of communication impacts the mode of communication and alters the way a communication is made among two or multiple parties. The article takes the example of Facebook and discusses how the medium plays a crucial role in relations with media, society, and politics.

Running head: MEDIA SOCIETY POLITICS
MEDIA SOCIETY POLITICS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note:

1MEDIA SOCIETY POLITICS
How does medium theory approach to Media Studies enable us to investigate particular
examples of the complex relations between media, society, and politics? Your response
should focus on one specific concept, argument, case study, or debate.
The medium theory approach to Media Studies suggest that the medium of expression
of communication impacts the mode of communication thereby altering and impacting the
way a communication is made among two or multiple parties. Therefore it can be stated that
the medium has an impactful role in the studies of mass media and communication. However
with time the popularity of this theory has gone down among the scholars of media. They
have gradually given more importance to the content and the way a message is constructed,
however it cannot be denied that the medium of message also plays a very important role in
the construction of a communication and how people perceive the importance of the
communication (Flew 2017).
The term was 1st put forward by Joshua Meyrowitz and the other scholars positively
contributing to the theory was Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman. The term medium
theory was defined by Meyrowitz “the body of literature that focuses on the technological
aspects of media beyond their content. It aims to look beyond the content to the medium
which reveals the key to its social impact”. McLuhan had stated that the medium of a
message has important impact in terms of changing and awakening the ideas and thoughts of
the people. There is always a subtle difference between, for example, a breaking news on live
television and the same news when it comes on the newspaper. For example it can be stated
that, in a news channel the person who is reading the news has the authority and power to
influence the audience by the way he or she speaks and puts forward the news. In the
newspapers on the other hand there can be no such influence.

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As quoted by Flew (2017), McLuhan states “The personal and social consequences of
any medium – that is, of any extension of ourselves – result from the new scale that is
introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology”.
Therefore the technologies and the medium through which the society interacts with each
other is another area where the content of the communication is enhanced or reduced.
McLuhan states “the content of a movie is a novel or a play or an opera … the “content” of
writing or print is speech”. With the change of medium the content of the communication
also evolves. In today’s time digital media has become the fastest medium through which the
communication is spread, however people have very less faith on the messages passed
through social media as it can be altered and there is a fear of fake news being spread.
However people have greater faith on the news channels or the newspapers, because
generally these mediums have greater credibility factor than social media platforms.
McLuhan had once famously quoted as saying “The medium is the Message” which explains
the essence of the theory.
As stated by Cohen Facebook is the medium which generates one of the highest
interest among today’s youth and other ages of population as well. Facebook attracted more
than 64 million active users. Facebook can be taken as the case study in this regards and the
theory can be explained taking this example. Facebook has become one of the important
platforms for political discourse and propaganda. Every political party and entity has been
using this social media platform lately to reach the largest number of people possible.
“Depending on whom you ask, Facebook is either a revolution in social networking and the
future of e-capitalism, or a place where excitable youth post too much information about
themselves, risking exposure to stalkers or surveillance by employers, parents, and the CIA”
(Cohen, 2008). Veum and Undrum (2018) states how people make meaning and statements
through their online practices. One of the narrative has been taking photographs of one self

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and then posting it on the social media with suitable caption. Even when there is a news
worthy incident happening people prefer to take “selfie” or self-portrait. When there is a fire
or there is an important event, people these days have been seen clicking photos with the
news worthy event in their background. These have presently become one of the source of
news. This again would not be accepted by the society as authentic and credible news
sources. The medium in which a particular news story is served is therefore an important
aspect, as stated by the medium theory (Woodstock 2016).
In this context discussion can be made about the increasing political debate about fake
news (Allcott & Gentzkow 2017). The American President Donald Trump for the first time
initiated discussion in this regards when during his political campaign the media of the
United States was divided perpendicularly for and against him. In terms of news which are
broken by unknown sources in Facebook, this is especially true. In the social media platforms
there is no system of gatekeeping or policing (Marchi 2012). Therefore there is possibility of
people sharing fake news and those going viral. This is not possible in the case of newspaper
or television news channels, therefore again in this regard it can be understood that medium
has an important role to play in the way a news is spread and how people perceive the news.
Carr in an article in The Atlantic titled “Is Google Making Us Stupid? What the
Internet is doing to our brains”, states that the internet and digital media has a way of
influencing us and making us take decisions in a particular way (Carr 2008). In the present
time, the digital age, therefore, the medium plays an equal important role as the content. The
medium in the present times are gradually becoming more intelligent and persuasive. The
news channels are great influencers, the digital media tracks our online activities-
understands our behaviour- and serves us information in that particular pattern, and
Newspapers in their hard copy format are hardly consumed in the present times. Therefore it
can be concluded by understanding the case study of Facebook and understanding the

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Medium theory of media, that medium plays crucial role in relations with media, society, and
politics.
Reference:
Allcott, H. and Gentzkow, M., 2017. Social media and fake news in the 2016 election.
Journal of Economic Perspectives, 31(2), pp.211-36.
Carr, N. (2008). Is Google Making Us Stupid?. [online] The Atlantic. Available at:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/07/is-google-making-us-stupid/306868/
[Accessed 16 Aug. 2018].
Cohen, N.S., 2008. The valorization of surveillance: Towards a political economy of
Facebook. Democratic Communiqué, 22(1), p.5.
Flew, T., 2017. The ‘Theory’in media theory: The ‘Media-Centrism’debate. Media Theory,
1(1), pp.43-56.
Marchi, R., 2012. With Facebook, blogs, and fake news, teens reject journalistic
“objectivity”. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 36(3), pp.246-262.
Veum, A. and Undrum, L.V.M., 2018. The selfie as a global discourse. Discourse & Society,
29(1), pp.86-103.
Williams, K., 2003. Understanding media theory.
Woodstock, L., 2016. “It’s kind of like an assault, you know”: media resisters’ meta-
decoding practices of media culture. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 33(5),
pp.399-408.