Very early in the interview, McLuhan mentioned the idea of Narcissus narcosis as a form of self-hypnosis. His description of this as a numbing and anesthetizing of the affected area from conscious awareness immediately caught my attention. Already at this point I had to check and make sure this interview was done in 1969 because it is so relevant to modern technology in society. As new technology is created, it is absorbed almost instantly into the public, especially since so much of this is anticipated. The release of new technology becomes such a focal point to so many people that they are completely unaware of the real changes it will make to their environment. People become so focused on being caught up with the newest, fastest, and best performing that this focus blocks out the changes being made in their social lives and mentality. It shocks me that McLuhan had noticed this over 40 years ago, even before social media and smart phones. This concept still holds true in his time though, it is just within less forms of technology.
McLuhan continues to mention his rear-view mirror view of the world which coincides with Narcissus narcosis. I have thought about the way we think of the technology we had as children compared to what we have now. I completely agree with McLuhan saying that our environment only becomes visible when replaced by a new environment. We are often unaware of the way our current environment is affecting our minds and instead looking to the past and almost romanticizing or making nostalgia of our technological history. His explanation of the way technology is being produced more and more rapidly makes sense of his point that today, even years after his time, people need to become aware of their role as consumers and within the instantaneous transformation of culture by technology. McLuhan also said that if we do not become aware of this identity loss, we will become their slaves. It seems that now, 46 years later, he was correct. Like he said, most of us are as unaware of the psychic and social effects of new technology as a fish of the water it swims in.
McLuhan's views on education and the generation gap introduced to me a whole new set of ideas that I had never before considered. His visual description of the generation gap as a chasm instead struck me immediately. This is extremely true today because of the rapid evolution of technology and the complete shift of values and culture that came along with it. I agree that this is the age of anxiety, and for clear reasons. People base an extremely high portion of their lives on social media and technology. Most people are so dependent on it that it seems they couldn't survive with just their sense of hearing, taste, smell, and touch. The visual has become so important to humans in terms of education and social interaction. There has been a disconnect made between the human and the object, which has been replaced by the dualism between sight and sound because of the phonetic alphabet. Education follows suit being based on the repetition of facts for years of our lives, all based on the phonetic alphabet as well. The education system is also in a rear-view mirror state, and the conditioned child cannot simply bring all of his senses to read a book as he can to watch television. Reading is only a visual approach to learning, and electric media has taught him to bring all of his senses together. This makes for a more difficult learning experience, as conflicting instincts only struggle against each other.
Marshall McLuhan 1969 interview illuminates not only the profound power of technology in the modern world, but also the lack of consciousness surrounding its control- a concept that holds true today. In fact, this “marriage to technology,” as he calls it, has only increased over the years, creating a world where people are engrossed within technology that links them to the realms of social media. Mindlessly glaring at the glow of their screens in an attempt to “stay connected,” they have lost control of themselves.
ReplyDeleteAside from the desire to stay socially connected to others, todays generation uses social media technology as determinant of their self worth, correlating positive feedback from others as a measure of their value. In fact, studies show that “retweets” and "likes" give users a boost of feel-good brain chemicals, while a lack of endorsement can provoke anger and anxiety. Not only that, but with the ability to compare themselves to their friends and others they follow on social media, researchers find that self esteem has drastically lowered. Thus, they have allowed social media to not only control their physical time, with their incessant attachment to devises and notification alerts, but have allowed it to control of their self-esteem and physiological state. McLuhan references this precise amount of control, referring to technology as “the world-pool of electronic information movement [that] will toss us all about like corks on a stormy sea.” Unable to fight against the harshness of the waves, today’s generation has virtually drowned in these technological realms, falling victim to its overwhelming strength. Thus they have come to embody the corks that are tossed around and controlled by the power of the sea of social media.
His most astute point however, is the fact that these controlled automatons have no conscious awareness of what is happening. Scrolling through Facebook mindlessly at the bus stop, or checking social feeds every five minutes while working on an essay, today’s generation has become blind to their addictions, oftentimes not even realizing their habitual actions. McLuhan references this concept, calling it “a peculiar form of self-hypnosis Narcissus narcosis, a syndrome whereby man remains as unaware of the psychic and social effects of his new technology as a fish of the water it swims in.” Not only are they unaware of their reliance on this technology, but they have become so emerged within these virtual realms, that their continual connection with social feeds has become a natural means of survival, one in which they need the social interaction as much as a fish needs water.
The most important part of all of this however, is regaining control, according to McLuhan. Referring to these victims of technology as zombies, he argues the need to escape this “Narcissus trance.” The only way to do this, however, is to understand the revolutionary transformations caused by new media, and thus regain control, rather than continue as slaves in this “self-induced subliminal trance.” While in the past, “man’s relationship to his boat or wheel was partial and fragmentary, todays relationship to modern technology is total and inclusive.” It no longer serves as a tool of, but as a means of survival. In fact, it has become so overwhelming that people are no longer able to detach themselves, and have become slaves to their devices. While social used to be a destination, it is now a constant- and today’s generation is realizing that they cannot disconnect. In fact, there has already been an increase in the development of applications that help prevent the use of social media, with anti-distraction apps like “self control” and “cold turkey” that block specific websites for up to 24 hours. Thus, the stark reality is that todays society is now being forced to enlist the help of more technology to free them from the shackles of mechanical culture that ultimately caused their downfall altogether.