Marshall McLuhan: The Three Fundamental innovations of Technology

Written Thursday, November 21st 2007

Marshall McLuhan: The Three Fundamental innovations of Technology
In the reading The Three Fundamental Innovations of Technology, McLuhan determines the three most fundamental technological innovations to be, the invention of the phonetic alphabet, Gutenberg’s moveable type and the invention of electric media. This blog explores the readings content, by going in-depth as to how exactly these three technologies have helped shape culture.

“The invention of writing and of a convenient system of records on paper has had the greatest influence on uplifting the human race than any other intellectual achievement in the career of man. Carlyle, Kant, Mirabel and Renan believed that writing was the beginning of civilization.” (McLuhan and Logan)
The creation of the phonetic alphabet:

• Developed a new medium of communication
• Developed the intellectual side of man
• Is associated with the “beginning of civilization”
• Created a verifiable and extended form of memory
• Enhanced the capacity of abstract thinking
• Created a new form of power, as men extended their power through the use of written records
• Gave command over time
The creation of the phonetic alphabet also led to the creation of bureaucracies. Records were made and saved over time, also developing a sense of time and distance. Power from these bureaucracies could be extended through the delivering of letters and messages to various distant areas and regions. Command over time was achieved through the permanence of records.

The second most fundamental innovation as determined by McLuhan is moveable type. Impacts of Gutenberg’s printing press:

• Information could be produced on a large scale
• Led to the efficient production of newspapers
• Through the spread of ideas shaped the political process of many nations towards accountable government and revolutions
• Could be used for propaganda
• Libraries could have larger quantities of books
• Initiated an “information” revolution
• Stimulated the literacy of lay people
• Spread of religious, business, and philosophical ideas
The printing press has proved to have an immensely significant impact on history and where humans are today, often associated with the Protestant Reformation. The printing press pioneered mass production and production time. Moreover, these items could be published and sold to everyone, across the continent. Knowledge swept throughout the countries. People could print their own opinions and ideas for record and distribution. It also allowed this process to be done quicker then ever.

Lastly, the electric media is so prevalent in society that it is nearly impossible to go a day without seeing or hearing it. Moreover, we have become dependent upon it! Some of the uses for electric media include:

• Journalism
• Advertising
• Marketing
• Education
• Science
• Engineering
• Photography
• Film
• Commerce
• Business
• Telecommuting
• Entertainment
• Government
• Military
And more…
Computers, laptops, televisions and the radio, are all electric mediums part of many people’s daily routine. They have become common and taken for granted parts of daily life. Electric mediums are the largest sources of information for people within society. News and images from around the world are shared through the television, radio and computer. Television has assisted in the creation of an image-based culture. For more detail on this ‘image-based culture’, I recommend works by Marshall McLuhan and Neil Postman.

Clearly, these items have been of huge significance to the development of human life and society today. From each have these have sprung other important inventions and innovations also popular within society.

McLuhan, Marshall and R.K. Logan. Et Cetera. Dec 1977. 22 Nov. 2007
<http://members.shaw.ca/competitivenessofnations/Anno%20McLuhan%20Alphabet.htm>.

Hirji, Mohamed. The Printing Press. Jan 2000. 22 Nov. 2007
<http://www.ualberta.ca/~hirji/MH/home.htm>.


Kreis, Steven. The Printing Press. 2000. 22 Nov. 2007
<http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/press.html>.

Wikipedia. Electronic Media. May 2004. 22 Nov. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Media>.