What is a medium?

In our small group discussion we tried to answer this question. We started out with a pretty straightforward idea, that a medium is a means with which to deliver a message. From there we started discussing different mediums, and something that I thought was interesting, the different limitations with all mediums. It occurred to our group that every kind of medium has certain areas where it falls short, where there is a good chance that the message might be missed. As an example or a frame of reference, we thought about how certain disabilites such as vision or hearing impairment could interfere in receiving an intended message. But as we discussed this idea we noticed that there is almost always another medium that could be used to work around problems.

Another idea that we discussed was matching a message to the best possible medium. Are certain messages best suited for a specific medium, and should messages be altered to suit a desired medium? We talked about the current trend of portable devices like iphones and blackberrys and that artists are making content that is specifically designed to be viewed on a small screen.

Another important idea that we touched on was how mediums appeal to different senses, and the importance of images. While hearing a message can convey facts, our group agreed that often seeing an image can be more powerful. This was interesting to keep in mind while reading McLuhan. McLuhan's writing was coming with the rise of television, and he wrote about how television was powerful because it involved all senses. While our group discussed the power of images, McLuhan wrote about the power of sound, that you can shut out images, but we hear everything around us without even intending to. I think that the combination of sound and sight really does convey a message the strongest. As McLuhan says- it engages you and demands participation and involvement.

This is now also true of the internet. My group discussed whether we should just accept the internet as the most efficient medium, and what it's limitations are. We thought that while TV and the internet can both engage several senses and promote user participation, there is a difference in the element of control. TV is broadcast to you, and you are more or less limited to what is being shown when you turn on your TV, although this is changing with DVR. With the internet the user is given more control of what they view, and can choose to go into a subject to whatever degree they choose. However, some members in our group thought that there is still a comfort level of using the TV as a medium. With so much content available on the internet, it can be difficult to disseminate through everything and find content of real substance.