Abstract
The relationship between the various media of communication and the culture in which they operate is of major interest to mass communication scholars. Marshall McLuhan, the "media guru" of the 60s, was among the most controversial people to explore this relationship. Daniel Czitrom, while generally critical of McLuhan's theories and scholarship, recognizes the scope of McLuhan's influence. Czitrom writes:
McLuhan's analysis of modern media has profoundly transformed our perceptions of twentieth-century life, particularly for the generation born after World War II. When the French coined the term mcluhanisme, they were referring not only to the man but also to a new cultural stance, a commitment to the serious examination of popular culture. If nothing else, McLuhan's efforts instilled an urgent awareness of the media environment as a basic force shaping modem sensibility.
The truth of McLuhan's aphorism "the medium is the message" has been debated, amplified and denigrated-but rarely ignored. McLuhan, elaborates on his seemingly simple statement: "[l]t is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action." The idea that the medium by which a message is sent changes, and even forms, the message is essential as a basis of this study.
Journal Title
Iowa Journal of Speech Communication
Volume
22
Issue
1
First Page
36
Last Page
43
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Goldberg, Jerry M.
(1990)
"The Medium, the Message, and the Supreme Court: An Analysis of Supreme Court Opinions in Obscenity Cases,"
Iowa Journal of Communication: Vol. 22:
No.
1, Article 8.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/ijc/vol22/iss1/8
Copyright
©1990 Iowa Communication Association
