I just browsed the first book "Understanding Media" by Lao Mai, and my mind is a little confused. Therefore, it is necessary to make a simple review of the contents of a single chapter-of course, I just sort out the contents of these chapters in my own language in case I can't find the direction when I read it the second time.
In addition, I hope that the predecessors who have studied Lao Mai's thought will give some opinions and correct any mistakes.
First of all, media is information.
First of all, we should make clear the scope of the concept of "media". Everything in the world can be a medium or has the potential to become a medium. When we observe the media, our focus is often limited to the "content" of the media. However, the "content" of the media cannot summarize the media, and the "content" itself is another kind of media. The essence of media-"information" is higher than "content", and "information" should stimulate the social structure strongly, even dismember and reconstruct the reality.
Lao Mai cited the example of "electricity" to illustrate the media, because "electricity" is a kind of media without "content", and its direct influence lies in the social change, which is the essential attribute of the media, that is, "information". As for the media like TV, its intuitive impression is the "content" it conveys, but the essence of TV is not the case. The "information" it conveys to us is the profound influence of social progress and scientific and technological development on human life.
Second, the hot medium and cold medium
In this chapter, Lao Mai divides the forms of media into "hot media" and "cold media". Lao Mai said that radio is a hot medium, telephone is a cold medium, photos are a hot medium, and comics are a cold medium. "Hot media" should be high-definition, leaving little room for the audience to participate, while "cold media" should be low-definition, leaving more room for the audience to participate. The "hot media" radio station transmits enough information to the audience, so the space for the audience to participate is relatively small, and the information transmitted to the audience by telephone is relatively simple (because it is limited to the discussion between two people), so it is a cold media. The distinction between hot media and cold media really helps us to observe the nature and influence of the media.
Third, the reversal of media overheating.
To understand the "reversal of superheated medium", we must first understand the concept of "fracture boundary". "Fracture limit" can be simply understood as the upper limit of the definition of "thermal medium". First of all, when the definition of a thermal medium is high enough to break through the "fracture boundary", people's attention and expectation will shift to other media forms relative to it. For example, the dynamic artistic expression of movies, with the continuous enrichment of film narrative methods and technical means, leaves less and less space for the audience to participate. Therefore, when discussing art, people tend to pay more attention to static works of art such as painting, that is, "cold media". For another example, when the hot medium of the city expands its boundaries endlessly, the living space of urban people becomes narrower and narrower, so that the yearning for the cold medium of rural pastoral continues to breed and migrate to the countryside in droves.
Fourth, gadget lovers: numb narcissism (difficult to understand)
Lao Mai said that "self-excision does not allow self-cognition". The so-called "self-amputation" means that people cut off part of their senses and central nervous system and replace them with media. Therefore, in this sense, any extension of human beings belongs to "self-cutting". The fundamental purpose of "self-harm" is self-protection. People will actively choose to release some of their stress when facing environmental stimuli. In addition, people's "self-harm" is also manifested in replacing the physical extension of human behavior with technical means. Humans have become the "servo system" of science and technology. Therefore, the only choice for mankind is to believe in technology numbly and entrust the fate of self to the media that extends beyond the body.
V. Hybrid energy: dangerous liaisons
The content of this chapter is easy to understand. Media hybridization is a common phenomenon in current media ecology. Different types and forms of media merge with each other, resulting in greater energy and wider influence than a single media form. The mixture of electricity and light promotes the emergence of "electro-optic", which greatly changes the living state of human beings and the whole social structure; Poets recite poems through radio, and the mixing of poetry and radio promotes the spread of poetry and helps people to better contact and understand poetry. At present, the mixing of Internet technology and media has promoted the emergence of self-media, opened the curtain of Web2.0, and profoundly changed our living conditions. The energy brought by media hybridization has left people with unlimited imagination space.
Six, as a medium converter
All technologies are converters that convert media from one form to another. And this form change of the media tends to develop towards a good trend. Therefore, technology plays a very important role in promoting the development of media. Technology has undoubtedly changed our lives and our general understanding of things. This change has greatly promoted the development of our spirit and will in the same direction. In this chapter, Lao Mai optimistically looks forward to the electronic world dominated by technology in the future. The boundary between the natural world and the electronic world will no longer exist, technology can do anything, and human beings will better understand the nature and self of the world through the media. Lao Mai also pointed out that no matter how technology develops, it is an extension of human consciousness after all, and it seems that it is not easy to realize that it is out of control in human hands. Just as the rotation of a wheel must depend on the movement of our legs and feet, technology also depends on people's consciousness. The development of technology can formulate rational behavior standards and unified consciousness norms for human society, and finally help human beings get rid of the state of being numb to technology.
Seven. Challenge and collapse: revenge of creativity (massive information ...)
Lao Mai, who was still praising the technological development in the previous chapter, suddenly turned his face here and began to criticize the technological development. He believes that "the form of new technology closes the door to judgment and perception". The emergence and development of new technology is accompanied by human numbness, and there is a strong "narcissism" illusion in the face of new technology. The emergence of new technology is like an operation on human society. Its influence does not occur in the surgical wound, but in other organs of the body outside the operation, that is, "broadcasting affects vision and photos affect hearing" Lao Mai is still defending artists here. He believes that the profound influence of technology on society will not be discovered by those who create and enjoy technology, but artists can stand on the position of rational bystanders and comprehensively examine the new changes brought by technology to society. "Special tasks always fail to see the role of social conscience", and the artist here is "social conscience". "The most obvious perceived' off' or psychological impact of any new technology is the demand for it." The emergence of new technology is often accompanied by people's insurmountable demand for a new thing. For example, the birth of television and cars had an indelible impact on human life, but before they came into being, human demand for them was naturally replaced by other technologies. In addition, the meticulous division of labor brought by technology inevitably makes human beings slaves of technology, while non-slaves who lack specialized technology are excluded from the mainstream social field.
"The professional division of labor and market organization of mechanized industry have challenged westerners. This is a challenge of a single cracked manufacturing industry, and it is a challenge to deal with everything and all operational processes a little bit." "It has penetrated into every aspect of our lives and made us very successful in all aspects and fields."