The Canadian theorist who provides a key explanation of how media evolved through technological determinism is Marshall McLuhan. McLuhan is renowned for his media theory that emphasizes the power of media technologies as drivers of social and cultural change. He famously coined the phrase "the medium is the message," meaning that the nature of the medium itself, rather than the content it carries, fundamentally shapes human experience and societal organization
. McLuhan argued that different media technologies influence the dominant human senses and modes of perception, thereby shaping how people think, feel, and act. For example, the shift from print to electronic media transforms social organization and collective life. His work builds on and extends the ideas of his mentor, Harold Innis, another Canadian scholar who saw media technologies as foundational to civilization and historical development
. McLuhan's approach is a form of media determinism, a subset of technological determinism, which posits that technological innovations in communication media are principal forces driving social change. He proposed a "tetrad of media effects" to analyze how any medium:
- Enhances certain functions,
- Makes others obsolete,
- Retrieves earlier forms of communication, and
- Reverses into new forms when pushed to extremes
Together, McLuhan and Innis represent foundational figures in understanding media evolution through technological determinism from a Canadian perspective
. Summary:
- Canadian theorist: Marshall McLuhan (and Harold Innis as a foundational influence)
- Key idea: Media technologies shape society and culture by altering human perception and social organization ("the medium is the message")
- Framework: Tetrad of media effects analyzing the social impact of media technologies
- Field: Media determinism as a form of technological determinism
