McLuhan’s mantra “the medium is the message” embraces the concept that the medium in which a message is portrayed can greatly influence the meaning of the image. McLuhan, who died in 1980, did not get to see the extreme evolution of technology that followed shortly after his death. His mantra was relevant during his lifetime, but is even more applicable in the 21st century with the evolution of mass media and social media offering so many new media outlets. McLuhan’s motto is also applicable to advertising and it’s various forms.
Many unique form of advertising are available to companies, such as radio commercials, newspaper advertisements, and billboards. The advancement of technology has also created more modern advertising options, such as advertisements on social media and video advertisements. The form of advertising a company chooses can influence the audience it reaches, the effect the message has on the audience, as well as how to message is received. By choosing to advertise the dangers of tailgating on a billboard, seen in the image below, McLuhan’s motto is reiterated. The billboard likely appeals more to visual learners, but it’s shock value draws the
…show more content…
Text and image creators have so many different mediums at their disposal, but many do not realize that the medium in which they choose to present their message can have sizeable impact on their message, sometimes even completely altering the meaning. The medium and meaning are both important part of images and advertisements that are often looked at as two separate entities. By viewing the medium and message together and properly executing their convergence, the text or image created can greatly inflect and move the audience. McLuhan’s mantra is timeless and applicable in many different areas. His motto exhibits the importance of the symbiotic relationship between the medium and message of