Reactions to Understanding Media and "Mr. Plimpton's Revenge"

His magnum opus

Dinty Moore’s Google Maps essay, “Mr. Plimpton’s Revenge,” is a novel and interesting use/subversion of the mapping technology. While maintaining a traditional narrative structure (assuming one clicks through in the order presented), the use of Google Maps adds an element of interactivity I found appealing. Being able to pinpoint the specific locations of the story adds a degree of narrative immediacy and context to what would otherwise be a semi-charming/amusing story told over cocktails.

 

The world's newest supervillain

After reading the selection from McLuhan’s Understanding Media, two concepts stood out as salient. The first, regarding the medium being the message, is harder to wrap my head around as presented. The TV is not what’s on the TV, YouTube is not what’s on YouTube, and so on, surely. I am not what I say, the singer is not what she sings. Then I took a step back, mentally, after hearing about something where the medium literally is the message. The pleasant scent of freshly-cut grass is actually a cry for help, a Bat (Bug) Signal if you will, meant to summon assistance from predatory insects for the beleaguered blades, saving them from the ravages of ruthless fauna. In this case, the medium (smell) is the message itself (help me, Bugman!), the two inextricably bound together. This fact served a useful purpose (aside from reconfirming my sense of moral superiority for never mowing) in that it gave me a platform from which to grasp the concept as applied to us.

Scaling that up and through the lenses of abstraction and self-interest that help define human motivation, I can see the truth in that how we present information can be as important, and say as much, as the actual information presented. How we offer something can inform or define what we’re offering, be it a speech, a sales pitch, a web-based show, etc. Simple marketing theory, right? I’d just clarify and say that the medium isn’t the whole of the message, but is a necessary part of it.

 

Gravitas

Let’s take the Netflix show, House of Cards. The simple message is the show itself, an American political drama. But the medium, the vehicle by which that message is conveyed, tells us more. First, the fact that it is a show original* to Netflix, not simply a re-airing of network television, is Netflix saying “Look, we can create new content! We’re relevant! Eat it, RedBox!” Second, the use of headliner Kevin Spacey reasserts the claim, telling us, “Hey, we got that American Beauty guy! We’re a serious entertainment contender, not some YouTube-haunting kitten video stalker!” And of course Kevin Spacey is himself letting us know that, “Hey, I can still get acting jobs, even after K-Pax! I’m still relevant! Did you know I’m a Serious Actor? I play the POTUS, for crissake!”

 

Suck Dynasty

The second concept, of hot vs. cold media, I can agree with, though McLuhan’s application of those labels shows the age of the work. TV may have been a cold medium in the 50’s, but these days, with the diversity of messages to be found, the TV itself is lukewarm, with the non-medium-messages being hot or cold, depending on intent and content. It can be argued that much of the available programming today leaves very little to the imagination, indeed shoving so much irrelevant crap at us (looking at you, reality television) that we drown in the banality of it. Or maybe that’s just my old age. Now get off my unmown lawn.

*By original, I mean a Netflix reboot of an originally English show which was actually originally a book. But still, not network.