The Media: Cause or Effect?

The Technology and the Society by Raymond Williams really seems to link each of these articles together. In his discussion of whether technology (television in this instance) can be seen as a cause of society, an effect of society, or both, he cites both Engelbart and McLuhan while alluding to many of Bush's main tenets. The overriding theme of each of these pieces is the idea that since the media are influenced by society (a changing and evolving force), the media should be seen not necessarily as a tool but as an extension of society. Similarly, Marshall points out that in today's "Age of Anxiety," a medium may control the way we associate and act, but it does not control society as a whole. According to Bush, even in 1945, "new and powerful instrumentalities" are coming into play and it is important to understand that society and the media operate hand-in-hand.

Bush's speculations on future technology along with Engelbart's concept of human intellect augmentation illustrate how we may use technology to solve problems and make human life easier. In Engelbart's "bootstrapping" idea, "users are continually involved in the ongoing definition and construction of the tools that they as a community will use" (Williams). Each of these texts link our interaction with technology as primarily user-generated and directly related to human evolution. Similarly, "new media" and the internet "was created and is still being created by social processes interacting with scientific/technical processes" (Williams).  It is interesting to see even today how much easier and efficient it is to see a weather forecast or discover new recipes than it may have been 10 years ago.

While each of these texts are similar, several key differences set them each apart.  For example, it seems that Bush's text viewed technology as more mechanical than humanity-driven.  Whille proving that the mechanics follow some form of human thought, he also goes into detail of each medium's technical inter-workings and points out differences between the human mind and machines, mentioning that "memory is transitory" and "items are not fully permanent."  This shows less of a cause/effect relationship and more of an "extension" concept.  Meanwhile, McLuhan links automation with the thought process and shows how the "medium is the message" - "it is the medium that shapes and controls the scale and form of human association and action."  In this way, his "technical determinist" viewpoint illustrates the concept that technology affects culture.  Raymond Williams' views compare and contrast each viewpoint, providing ample reasoning for each and exploring thought-provoking questions on the matter.  Finally, Engelbart proves that humans have a direct causal relationship with the media.  He writes how computers are used to solve human problems and augment human thought.  This makes the media more of a "tool" (though not completely) and an effect of humankind.