Regardless of the Medium, The Story is the Message

"The medium is the message" is a phrase by Marshall McLuhan. In his book, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, published in 1964, he explained that the medium influences how the message is perceived. So, what does that mean for the present? Today, when all of the established mediums are basically crumbling around us and the overwhelming medium of choice is the Internet, what does that say about the message itself? How can we now successfully convey a message through this relatively new medium?

Although more people are able to deliver their message than ever before, the number of mediums is being reduced to one. Whereas in the past people would choose to read a newspaper, watch TV, or listen to the radio, all of those mediums are funneling themselves into the Internet. So how does the medium translate as the message? The way we perceive the medium is as important as how we perceive the message. So, where is this new road taking us?

Is it one comprised primarily of opinion-based information?

Is peer review going to take the place of editorial review?

Is vetted and fact-checked news now less important than on-the-scene, personalized, immediate coverage?

And, apart from information and news, how is this medium affecting the ways companies promote and market themselves? How is advertising and public relations affected? According to studies, at present, advertising is waning on the Internet. The one-to-one correlations to print ad and TV commercials do not seem to be there. How to monetize the Internet is still a question in search of an answer. But, amid all of this change and flux, there does remain one constant, what people relate to are stories. From the beginning of recorded history to the present time, our species is one that learns and communicates through storytelling. So, amid all of the changes, the story remains supreme and those individuals and companies that understand this and focus on how to successfully articulate their stories, regardless of the medium, those will be the ones who will not only survive, but thrive.

Copyright © Anthony Mora