The Medium is the Message?

            (To be honest, I didn’t understand the reading very well. I’m still confused as to whether the title is “The Medium is the Massage” or  “The Medium is the Message.” It seemed like there were many contradictions in the text. In any case, I decided to write about how media and the younger generation affect the workforce and management- a nod towards my current business class. I’ll edit this after the class discussion. )

http://spacecollective.org/sjef/4148/
The-medium-is-the-massage

McLuhan makes a note that “As new technologies come into play, people are less and less convinced of the importance of self-expression” (67.) This…is entirely incorrect.

A trend in today’s world is a movement towards self-expression. As technology spreads across the globe and more people become connected, an individual believes that someone- somewhere- will listen and agree with his thoughts. He can be heard as he has never been heard before. He demands attention, in one form or another, and shouts as loud as he can.

Children are taught, from adults and media, that an opinion matters.

 “Your ideas are the most important.”

“The world is a competition.”

“If you aren’t building your dream, you’re building someone else’s.”

A young adult - a teenager – a child learns that he must speak the loudest and have very strong opinions. If he does not, then he will be subdued and pressed into a “conformist corner.” He becomes the labor force of another person’s dreams. The younger generations will do anything to avoid the “common” or the “static.”

            “What do you know about the OLD world of business and management?” The business professor asks.

http://entrepreneurshipforum.org/
can-schools-teach-you-to-be-an-entrepreneur/

The students respond, “It is cold and mechanical. There is no life. There is no creativity. There is no humanity.”

“And what would make it more human?”

“Pass the power around. No single person should be in authority. We should all be heard!”

The younger generation wants to be heard. Even above someone who might know or seen more. “It isn’t a matter of experience, it’s a matter of creativity!” The student might refute that EVERYONE should be heard. But on the inside, HE wants to be the leader. There is little teamwork or cooperation in today’s world. But why? Did the older generations act like this when they were young?

http://www.official-top-ten.com/top-10-lists/
top-ten-characteristics-of-a-successful-entrepreneur/

McLuhan comments that the prior generations, who were limited to the education in schools and the limited television, were “more earnest, more dedicated.” Limited to an ancient education, which has long since fallen behind the progress of real life, this generation believes that conformity is good. A little office with the same chore everyday and the same accomplishments every year is perfectly acceptable.

The younger generation, which grew up on on-the-minute updates on tablets and the millisecond communications of the smart phones, thirsts for adventure and instant results. 

“If the job is boring, leave it!” 

The workforce shifts from the static, loyal worker of 50 years to the young contingent entrepreneur.

Media is everywhere and everything. As a child grows, he has access to thousands of devices. This generation affects the future and they want it now.