Medium theory is a mode of analysis that examines the ways in which particular communication media and modalities impact the specific content (messages) they are meant to convey.
It Medium theory refers to a set of approaches that can be used to convey the difference in meanings of messages depending on the channel through which they are transmitted.
[2][3]: 305 Such works includes to those of Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, Walter Ong, Jack Goody, and Neil Postman, among others.
[3]: 305 In Canada and elsewhere, the theory continues to inform studies that assess large-scale social changes that follow the adoption of a new medium.
(These works came from a variety of fields, including history, anthropology, political economy, philosophy, religion, classics, and communication.)
"[4]: 331 In a later work, Meyrowitz asks: "What are the characteristics of each medium…that make it physically, psychologically, and socially different from other media and from live interaction, regardless of content and grammar choices.
[1] In ancient Greece, Socrates observed that writing differed from oral dialogue in several key ways: written texts were incapable of answering questions put to them, reached audiences for which they were not intended, and weakened the memories of those who relied on them.
In the 15th century, Johannes Gutenberg touted the ways in which his own invention of movable type differed in method and potential effects from the work of the scribes.
In the 16th century, Martin Luther and his followers consciously exploited the revolutionary potential of print via the first mass-mediated publicity campaign.
Macrolevel medium theory explores broader ques- tions about the ways in which changes in media have influenced modes of thinking, patterns of social organization, status differences, value systems, collective memory, and even the physical layout of the built environment[6] On the micro level, the core issue is the ways in which the medium that is selected a specific purpose influences a particular situation or interaction.
Evidence of micro medium theory can be seen in the development of wearable fitness technology with the specific purpose aimed at increasing physical activity in the user.
[10] McLuhan also argues that the combination of human senses used to receive a message is a key element that makes one medium different from the others.
[10] McLuhan believed that people should observe not only the media itself but "the ways in which each new medium disrupts tradition and reshapes social life.
[3]: 307 In his 1962 book The Gutenberg Galaxy, McLuhan argued that when new media technologies were introduced into society, the balance of human senses were reworked, highlighting some at the expense of others.
He gives the examples of religion and education, stating that religious practices and methods of teaching in the classroom have become further sensationalized in a manner that is ultimately damaging to society.
Raymond Williams, one of the most ardent critics of this concept, believed that technological determinism 'emerges' from technical study and experiments, and then changes the sector or society in which it emerged from.