McLuhan’s idea that folks in print-heavy societies mostly link language with its written form offers a deep insight into how media affects our thinking. In places where printed stuff like books and newspapers rule, people tend to see language as something fixed and written down. We grow up learning to read and write, so it’s natural to think of language as what we see on a page.
But nowadays, with the rise of digital tech, language isn’t just about writing anymore. We’ve got videos, social media, and all sorts of ways to communicate that don’t involve writing. Still, a lot of us stick to the habits we learned from reading and writing. We might send texts or emails, but our brains are still thinking in terms of sentences and paragraphs.
Even though we’ve got all this cool digital stuff, the influence of print media is still strong. We’re used to language being something we read, so that mindset sticks around. McLuhan’s point reminds us to think about how the media we’re used to affects how we see and use language. Even though language is changing with technology, our old habits die hard. Understanding this helps us see how media shapes the way we think and communicate.
McLuhan’s idea makes us think about how much our habits from print-based societies stick with us, even with all this new tech around. We’re still pretty attached to writing stuff down, even though we’ve got tons of other ways to communicate now. It’s like the old saying, “Old habits die hard.” Even though we’re texting and posting online, we still follow a lot of the rules we learned from reading and writing. And it’s not just about how we write; it’s also about how we see written stuff as more official or important, even online. So, even with all this digital stuff, the way print culture shaped our language and thinking still hangs around, making us think about how we use language in today’s world.