Question

Marshall McLuhan envisioned an “electronic Global Village” in which people would become “irrevocably involved with, and responsible for, each other”. In what ways has McLuhan ‘s vision proven to be correct? In what ways he was wrong?

Answer 1

Marshall McLuhan, the late Canadian philosopher foresaw a global or digital village, that is, "one world interconnected by an electronic nervous system" which would become a part of the popular culture. He envisioned the digital interconnection around the world as the interconnected neurons in the nervous system of a human body. According to Marshall McLuhan the internet, on positive side motivates participation. But he also predicted a negative side of the internet in terms of consuming human attention and controlling human senses. McLuhan‘s vision has proven to be correct in many ways. Currently, we are living in an age called the Digital Age or the Internet Age. Internet and digitalization or technological advancements have reduced humans gazing at their mobile phones like zombies. Internet, today, is reduced to a basic necessity. Communication has become a significant aspect of our day-to-day life. Internet or digitalized communication has promoted a culture based on electronic interaction. According to Marshall McLuhan, electronic communication represented a style reminiscent of old storytelling. The interconnected of the world made each other irrevocably involved in technology and responsible for each other. It is communication or the exchange of information between people and groups that move the world the way it is moving, thereby making people responsible for each other's outcomes. It has been noticed that the electronic nervous system resulted in "hyper-personalization" due to the availability of options on the electronic medium (e-commerce like Amazon), which went unanticipated by McLuhan.

McLuhan is incorrect in terms of anticipating that digitalization co-exists with non-electronic means of communication like face-to-face communication. People are addicted to the internet and need it for life and convenience, but the electronic medium cannot replace the non-virtual world. All the problems of life cannot be resolved digitally or electronically. There are situations which require face-to-face communication and meetings, be it informal or formal. Moreover, electronic mediums are prone to technical errors and need human assistance and contact to retrieve, making electronic communication dependent on human communication.