Christian Paycana

We can know the nature and characteristics of anything we conceive or create (medium) by virtue of the changes -often unnoticed and non -obvious changes -that they effect (message.)

And it is the character of the medium that is its potency or effect -its message. In other words, "This is merely to say that the personal and social consequences of any medium -that is, of any extension of o urselves -result from the new scale that is introduced into our affairs by each extension of ourselves, or by any new technology."

McLuhan tells us that a "message" is, "the change of scale or pa ce or pattern" that a new invention or innovation "introduces into human affairs." (

. A McLuhan message always tells us to look beyond the obvious and seek the non -obvious changes or effects that are enabled, enhanced, accelerated or extended by the new thing

McLuhan defines medium for us as well. Righ t at the beginning of Understanding Media, he tells us that a medium is "any extension of ourselves."

We sometimes call these effects "unintended consequences," al though " unanticipated consequences" might be a more accurate description.

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."

Marshall McLuh an was concerned with the observation that we tend to focus on the obvious . In doing so, we largely miss the structural changes in our affairs that are introduced subtly, or over long periods of time.